Georgian · insult · noun
cad
KAD /kæd/pronunciation given by a dictionary
First recorded1830s
A man who behaves dishonourably, especially towards women; an ill-bred, ungentlemanly fellow. The word began as a shortening of 'cadet'/'caddie' for errand-boys, bus conductors and townsmen (as scorned by Oxford students), and by the 1830s–40s had become a general term of contempt.
Where it was first recorded
In the 'ill-bred, dishonourable man' sense, the 1830s (Merriam-Webster 1833; Etymonline 1838); Green's Dictionary of Slang cites an 'ill-mannered lout' sense from 1821.
Related: caddish (adjective), caddism (noun)
In its own time
To dance with blowzy housemaids at the regimental hops / And thrash the cad who says you waltz too well.
Today
Modern exampleHe promised to call after the dinner and then vanished — a proper cad.
Fine to use today as a pointed but old-fashioned word for a man who treats others, especially partners, badly.
Its history carries class snobbery (it once meant 'townsman' or 'servant' as opposed to 'gentleman').
Questions
What does cad mean?
A man who behaves dishonourably, especially towards women; an ill-bred, ungentlemanly fellow. The word began as a shortening of 'cadet'/'caddie' for errand-boys, bus conductors and townsmen (as scorned by Oxford students), and by the 1830s–40s had become a general term of contempt.
When was cad first used?
It is first recorded 1830s — In the 'ill-bred, dishonourable man' sense, the 1830s (Merriam-Webster 1833; Etymonline 1838); Green's Dictionary of Slang cites an 'ill-mannered lout' sense from 1821.
Can you still use cad today?
Fine to use today as a pointed but old-fashioned word for a man who treats others, especially partners, badly.
Sources
- cad — Online Etymology Dictionary
- The Slang Dictionary (1874 edition; the Project Gutenberg text is the 1913 Chatto & Windus impression), s.v. Cad — John Camden Hotten (Project Gutenberg #42108)
- Slang and its Analogues, vol. II (1891), s.v. CAD — J. S. Farmer & W. E. Henley (archive.org)
- cad, n.1 — Green's Dictionary of Slang
- cad — Wiktionary
- Barrack-Room Ballads (Kipling) — Project Gutenberg #2819
Checked 2026-09-30 · verdict: attested — found in the dictionaries and texts listed above