wanker
What does “wanker” mean in English?
It's a contemptuous insult for someone you find irritating or despicable. Literally, it refers to someone who masturbates, but that’s not usually how it’s meant.
Literally “person who masturbates”
Commonly used in British English as a directed insult, similar to calling someone a dickhead. It’s not as strong as some other insults, but it carries a decent punch.
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Related English words
wank
3/5 · VulgarIt refers to masturbation, but it can also mean something is rubbish or worthless.
arsewipe
3/5 · VulgarIt's a contemptuous insult for someone unpleasant or irritating. Think of it as calling someone a real piece of shit.
asswipe
3/5 · VulgarIt's a coarse insult for someone you find contemptible or despicable. The term suggests that the person is as useless as toilet paper.
scumbag
3/5 · VulgarIt's an insult aimed at someone you consider despicable or worthless. The term conveys moral contempt rather than just being a crude insult.
About this data
Swear Atlas is a source-attested, AI-curated reference — not a native-speaker-certified dictionary. Meanings and the 1–5 Burn Rating are approximate editorial assessments that vary with context, region, tone and speaker. Inclusion of a word does not constitute endorsement of its use.
The literal gloss is a short editorial translation to show word-for-word sense, not an etymological claim.
“Sounds like” is an English-friendly approximation of how the word sounds, not an authoritative pronunciation. Where shown, the romanisation is a conventional Latin-script transliteration of the original spelling.
Term attested via 4troDev/profanity.csv, Viddexa SafeText (MIT). Editorial content © Swear Atlas.