True-bred

adj

adj ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Purebred; genetically pure.

    "The issue of a wife is unlawful seed; And none's legitimate, but mongrel breed. Thou, and thy branches, have quite cross'd the strain, We ne'er shall see a true-bred whelp again."

  2. 2
    Genuine.

    "Well, for two of them, I know them to be as true-bred cowards as ever turn'd back; and for the third, if he fight longer than he sees reason, I 'll forswear arms."

  3. 3
    Of a proper lineage.

    "Come all ye true-bred Irishmen, a story I will tell Concerning bold McCarthy who in Liverpool did dwell."

  4. 4
    Inborn.

    "Experience, I grant, he probably lacks ; but he has the true-bred instinct."

Example

More examples

"The issue of a wife is unlawful seed; And none's legitimate, but mongrel breed. Thou, and thy branches, have quite cross'd the strain, We ne'er shall see a true-bred whelp again."

Etymology

From true (“genuine, legitimate”) + bred (“past tense of breed”).

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.