pirla
What does “pirla” mean in English?
It's an insult that means idiot or fool. It's commonly used to call someone stupid or foolish.
You'd use it similarly to calling someone a dickhead in English. It's a direct insult, primarily heard in northern Italy.
Take it with you
Wear it. Stick it. Drink from it.
Put pirla on a mug, a T-shirt or a sticker as Swear Atlas stamp artwork. You'll finish your order with Zazzle, our print partner — they handle payment, printing and delivery.
Adult/mature product · 18+. Purchases, delivery, returns and support are provided by Zazzle, not Swear Atlas. Availability is subject to Zazzle's policies.
Related Italian words
babbeo
2/5 · CoarseIt's a mild insult for someone who's acting foolish or simple-minded. Think of it as calling someone a fool in a somewhat playful way.
cretino
2/5 · CoarseIt means fool or idiot, used to insult someone's intelligence. It's a modern term that doesn't relate to any medical diagnosis.
coglione
3/5 · VulgarThis is an insult for someone considered a fool or idiot. Literally, it translates to 'testicle,' but that's not how it's used in conversation.
balordo
2/5 · CoarseIt's an insult used to call someone a fool or a scoundrel, implying they're unreliable or not to be trusted.
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.
“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 (CC-BY-4.0). Editorial content © Swear Atlas.