быдло (bydlo)

//ˈbɨdlə//insult

What does быдло (bydlo) mean? быдло (bydlo) is a Russian moderate that translates to “plebs / riffraff / lowlifes” in English.

cattle (Polish/Ukrainian origin)

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"plebs / riffraff / lowlifes"

A deeply classist insult meaning 'the unwashed masses' — crude, uneducated people who behave like livestock. It's the word Russian intellectuals and urbanites use to describe people they consider beneath them. The dehumanization is explicit: you're calling people cattle.

Elitist commentary about crowded public transport or a loud neighborhood: 'Кругом одно быдло' (Nothing but riffraff everywhere).