con
What does “con” mean in English?
This is an insult that roughly translates to idiot or arsehole. While it literally means 'vulva', that's not typically the intent when used as an insult today.
Literally “vulva”
It's often directed at someone to express frustration or disdain, similar to calling someone a dickhead in English. The tone can be quite derogatory, and it's commonly used in France.
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Related French words
con comme un balai
3/5 · VulgarThis means someone is very stupid. It's a comic way to insult someone's intelligence by comparing them to a broom.
ducon
3/5 · VulgarIt's a direct insult similar to calling someone an idiot or an arsehole. It can also carry a mocking tone when used as a form of address.
cave
2/5 · CoarseIn Quebec French, 'cave' is an insult meaning idiot or fool. It has no connection to its literal sense of 'cellar.'
imbécile
2/5 · CoarseIt means idiot or fool, used to insult someone's intelligence. It’s a straightforward put-down without any fancy undertones.
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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 LDNOOBW, 4troDev/profanity.csv (CC-BY-4.0, MIT). Editorial content © Swear Atlas.