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vermin

noun

Simple meaning

Any of different small animals or insects that are pests.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

vurmin

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈvɝmɪn

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. Any of various small animals or insects that are pests; e.g. cockroaches or rats

    “Cereals must be protected from mice and other vermin.”

  2. Any of various common types of small insects or other animals which cause harm and annoyance.

  3. An irritating or obnoxious person

  4. An obnoxious or mean and offensive person.

  5. An animal that preys on game, such as a fox or a weasel.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C2 · Proficient (estimated)
Frequency
Rare

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: Any of various small animals or insects that are pests; e.g. cockroaches or rats

Used this way, vermin is a common word with a clearly unfavourable pull. It stays understated rather than dramatic. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Heard in a sentence
“Cereals must be protected from mice and other vermin.”
Emotional tone
Negative
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Mild
How common
Common
Connotation
Serious and weighty
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use vermin

  • “Cereals must be protected from mice and other vermin.”noun

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Common Patterns and Combinations

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like verminhuman verminvermin control

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.