Bastard
What it means
Insult for a nasty or contemptible person.
Literally “person born outside marriage”. Short editorial gloss; not an etymological claim.
Pronunciation Heard as “bas tart”
English spellings approximate sounds and omit some contrasts. Use as retrieval hints, not authoritative pronunciation.
Used as
How it's used
Stigmatizing literal sense; modern use is often nonliteral.
How strong is it? 3/5 · Vulgar
Stigmatizing literal sense; modern use is often nonliteral. Ratings are contextual editorial estimates, not calibrated probabilities.