What does "bard" mean?
A professional poet and singer, like among the ancient Celts, whose occupation was to compose and sing verses in honor of the heroic achievements of princes and brave men.
Bard
/bɑːd/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A professional poet and singer, like among the ancient Celts, whose occupation was to compose and sing verses in honor of the heroic achievements of princes and brave men.
- Grammar: bard is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: aegis, akhmatova, arch-poet, armor.
- Useful contrasts: novelist, prose writer.
- Usage evidence: I got the OK so I unthinkingly created the clichéd 'grass runner thief/bard' character.
How to use "bard"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "bard" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "bard" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "bard" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "bard" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "bard" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "aegis" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "bard", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A professional poet and singer, like among the ancient Celts, whose occupation was to compose and sing verses in honor of the heroic achievements of princes and brave men.
"He is a Welsh bard, and a man full of animation, anecdote, and independence; […]"
- 2 A piece of defensive (or, sometimes, ornamental) armor for a horse's neck, breast, and flanks; a barb. (Often in the plural.)
- 3 Abbreviation of beyond a reasonable doubt. abbreviation, alt-of, uncountable
- 4 an ornamental caparison for a horse wordnet
- 5 A poet. broadly
"Shakespeare is known as the bard of Avon."
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 Defensive armor formerly worn by a man at arms.
- 7 a lyric poet wordnet
- 8 A class of character that typically focuses on charisma, magic and supporting other players; a fantasy fiction character inspired by this archetype.
"I saw a bard work a bit of magic once. He brought up a volunteer from the audience, insulted him in rather colorful fashion, and then made the man forget the insults—and then he did the same trick all over again, twice more.”"
- 9 A thin slice of fat bacon used to cover any meat or game.
- 10 The exterior covering of the trunk and branches of a tree; the rind.
- 11 Specifically, Peruvian bark.
Verb
- 1 To cover a horse in defensive armor.
"The defensive armor with which the horses of the ancient knights or men at arms were covered, or, to use the language of the time, barded, consisted of the following pieces made either of metal or jacked leather, the Chamfron, Chamfrein or Shaffron, the Criniere or Main Facre, the Poitrenal, Poitral or Breast Plate, and the Croupiere or Buttock Piece."
- 2 put a caparison on wordnet
- 3 To cover (meat or game) with a thin slice of fat bacon.
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname originating as an occupation.
- 2 William Shakespeare. usually, with-definite-article
"We have previously traced Shakespeare from his Birth-place to the Grammar School, and we shall now glance at his career as a lover, and in so doing propose a pleasant walk of a short mile to Shottery, a rural hamlet in the parish of Stratford, where Anne Hathaway resided, to whom the Bard became affianced at a very early period in his life."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
novelistprose writer
Example
"I got the OK so I unthinkingly created the clichéd 'grass runner thief/bard' character."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "bard"?
Common synonyms include: aegis, akhmatova, arch-poet, armor, ballad maker, ballad singer.
How do you use "bard" in a sentence?
I got the OK so I unthinkingly created the clichéd 'grass runner thief/bard' character.
How do you pronounce "bard"?
Pronounced /bɑːd/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
(15th c.) from Scottish Gaelic bàrd, from Old Irish bard, from Proto-Celtic *bardos (“bard, poet”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷerH- (“praise”), and reinforced by Latin bardus, borrowed from Celtic. Cognate with Latin grātus (“grateful, pleasant, delightful”), Sanskrit गृणाति (gṛṇāti, “calls, praises”), Old Church Slavonic жрьти (žrĭti, “to sacrifice”).
Etymology 2
From French barde. English since the late 15th century.