What does "herbert" mean?
A working-class youth, especially male.
Herbert
/ˈhɝbɚt/ name, noun, slang
name, noun, slang ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A working-class youth, especially male.
- Grammar: herbert is listed as name, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: family name, forename, given name, heriberto.
- Useful contrasts: family name, forename, given name.
- Usage evidence: Herbert Hoover won the election of 1928.
How to use "herbert"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "herbert" 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 "herbert" 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 "herbert" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "herbert" 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 "herbert" is acting as name, noun, slang 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 "family name" 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.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "herbert", 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 working-class youth, especially male. slang
"It was the Ulster Annual Jamboree. For weeks past, hundreds of spotty-faced herberts, with yodelling voices and chin fuzz, had tied three million knots, started ten thousand twig fires, and completed six hundred leaf fires; perfect training for round about 3000BC but bloody useless in the twentieth century."
- 2 A foolish or contemptible person, especially male. slang
"For quotations using this term, see Citations:herbert."
Proper Noun
- 1 A male given name from the Germanic languages, in modern use partly transferred back from the surname.
"Herbert, Sydney, Milton, Seymour. You know, all the time I was growing up I thought those were the most ordinary Jewish first names, until someone pointed out that they were British last names. I guess to my great-grandparents those names must have sounded so modern, so sophisticated, so - non-Eastern European. And now they're just Uncle Miltie, Uncle Sy, Uncle Herb. Do other people have Uncle Donne and Uncle Wordsworth?"
- 2 A surname originating as a patronymic.
"And you, Sir Walter Herbert, stay with me."
- 3 A small town in North Otago, New Zealand.
- 4 A rural locality in Litchfield Municipality, Northern Territory, Australia.
- 5 A former government town in South Australia.
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 A town in the Rural Municipality of Morse No. 165, Saskatchewan, Canada.
- 7 An unincorporated community in Boone County, Illinois, United States.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Herbert Hoover won the election of 1928."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "herbert"?
Common synonyms include: family name, forename, given name, heriberto, last name, personal name.
How do you use "herbert" in a sentence?
Herbert Hoover won the election of 1928.
How do you pronounce "herbert"?
Pronounced /ˈhɝbɚt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Old French Herbert, from Frankish *Hariberht.
Etymology 2
* (working-class youth): From the name Herbert. The term was popularised by the punk movement but predates it.