What does "loggerhead" mean?
A stupid person; a blockhead, a dolt.
Loggerhead
/ˈlɒɡəhɛd/ noun
noun ·Uncommon ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A stupid person; a blockhead, a dolt.
- Grammar: loggerhead is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: caretta caretta, dunce, blockhead, bonehead.
- Useful contrasts: clever person, genius.
- Usage evidence: The latest arrival is the Loggerhead Kingbird, a small insect-eating bird that is native to parts of the Caribbean.
How to use "loggerhead"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "loggerhead" 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 "loggerhead" 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 "loggerhead" as the right word for your sentence.
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Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "loggerhead" is acting as noun 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 "caretta caretta" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
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Final meaning check
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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 stupid person; a blockhead, a dolt. obsolete
"Ah, you whoreſon loggerhead, you were borne to do me ſhame."
- 2 very large carnivorous sea turtle; wide-ranging in warm open seas wordnet
- 3 A metal tool consisting of a long rod with a bulbous end that is made hot in a fire, then plunged into some material (such as pitch or a liquid) to melt or heat it.
"Stalleen Station. Four new sets of hand-rails, one new foot-board, and one new sluice have been put on. A new balance beam has been put on the guard lock, and the sluices, bearing irons, and loggerheads secured. The other works are in good order."
- 4 a stupid person; these words are used to express a low opinion of someone's intelligence wordnet
- 5 A post on a whaling boat used to secure the harpoon rope.
"Not very far distant Flask's boat was also lying breathlessly still; its commander recklessly standing upon the top of the loggerhead, a stout sort of post rooted in the keel, and rising some two feet above the level of the stern platform. It is used for catching turns with the whale line. Its top is not more spacious than the palm of a man's hand, and standing upon such a base as that, Flask seemed perched at the mast-head of some ship which had sunk to all but her trucks. But little King-Post was small and short, and at the same time little King-Post was full of a large and tall ambition, so that this loggerhead stand-point of his did by no means satisfy King-Post."
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 A thistle-like flowering plant of the genus Centaurea, particularly the common knapweed (Centaurea nigra). Midlands, dialectal, in-plural, often
"Loggerheads, from the resemblance of its knobbed involucres to a weapon so called, consisting of a ball of iron at the end of a stick, the knapweed, the Clobbewed of old MSS. Centaurea nigra, L."
- 7 Used as the name of various animals with large heads.; The loggerhead duck or Falkland steamer duck (Tachyeres brachypterus; formerly Tachyeres cinereus), a species of steamer duck endemic to the Falkland Islands.
"But here is a ſpecies of ducks, called the loggerhead, from its large head. They have ſhort wings, are unable to fly, and only ſwim and flap along on the water at an extraordinary rate."
- 8 Used as the name of various animals with large heads.; The loggerhead kingbird (Tyrannus caudifasciatus), a bird endemic to the Caribbean and West Indies.
"[E]arly in the season, a pair of Loggerheads, Tyrannus caudifasciatus, appropriated the same tree to themselves, and commenced constructing their nest. The Mocking birds were seen constantly in the square, but never interrupted or interfered with them until they had nearly completed the nest; they then drove away the Loggerheads, took possession of it, added a few sticks to the outwork, laid the eggs and hatched the young brood. The poor Loggerheads hovered about the place in great distress for a few days, but never attempted to regain possession of their property."
- 9 Used as the name of various animals with large heads.; The rufous-tailed flycatcher (Myiarchus validus), a bird endemic to Jamaica.
"Myiarchus validus, Cab. (Tyrannus crinitus, Gosse.)—The Red Petchary of the South and the Red Loggerhead of the mountains and Western districts agrees with the common Loggerhead in its general habits, except that of association; it is always found solitary, or in pairs; […]"
- 10 Used as the name of various animals with large heads.; The loggerhead shrike (Lanius ludovicianus), a bird endemic to North America.
"[…] I have received here also one of the parent birds, and in this instance I have been again surprised to learn that it is the Loggerhead, and not borealis or excubitoroides, that is the species referred to. […] So that we have in all ten well-authenticated instances of the Loggerhead breeding in the very heart of two of the most northerly of the New England States."
- 11 Used as the name of various animals with large heads.; The loggerhead musk turtle (Sternotherus minor), a large-headed turtle endemic to the United States.
"Sternotherus minor (Agassiz) / Loggerhead musk-turtle / […] Most numerous in large calcareous springs, where they may be seen at night wandering around on the bottom, especially about piles of debris."
- 12 Used as the name of various animals with large heads.; The loggerhead sea turtle or loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta), an oceanic turtle found throughout the world.
"The Loggerhead is ſo called from the largeneſs of its head, which is much bigger in proportion than that of other kinds. The fleſh of this alſo is very rank, and not eaten but in caſe of neceſſity."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
clever persongenius
Example
"The latest arrival is the Loggerhead Kingbird, a small insect-eating bird that is native to parts of the Caribbean."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "loggerhead"?
Common synonyms include: caretta caretta, dunce, blockhead, bonehead, dumbass, dunderhead.
How do you use "loggerhead" in a sentence?
The latest arrival is the Loggerhead Kingbird, a small insect-eating bird that is native to parts of the Caribbean.
How do you pronounce "loggerhead"?
Pronounced /ˈlɒɡəhɛd/.
Etymology
From logger (“(dialectal) heavy wooden block secured to a horse's leg to prevent it from straying”) + head. Logger was apparently coined because its sound connotes a clumsy, heavy object; compare log (“trunk of a dead tree; bulky piece of wood”).