mongrel

1 of 2

noun

mon·grel ˈmäŋ-grəl ˈməŋ-

Synonyms of mongrel

: an individual resulting from the interbreeding of diverse breeds (see breed entry 2 sense 1) or strains (see strain entry 1 sense 1)

especially : one of unknown ancestry

She owns several dogs, one of which is a mongrel.

: a cross between types of persons or things

The cinema is … a mongrel of virtually all the other arts.—Gerald Mast

mongrel adjective

mongrelization

ˌmäŋ-grə-lə-ˈzā-shən

ˌməŋ-

noun

mongrelize

ˈmäŋ-grə-ˌlīz

ˈməŋ-

transitive verb

mongrelize

2 of 2

transitive verb

mon·grel·ize ˈməŋgrəˌlīz

ˈmäŋ-

-ed/-ing/-s

: to cause to become mongrel

mongrelizer

-zə(r)

noun

plural -s

Synonyms of mongrel

Relevance

Noun

hybrid

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of mongrel in a Sentence

Noun She owns several dogs, including a mongrel named Stella. mongrels often suffer fewer health problems than purebreds

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Noun

Reuters reported that the dog involved in the incident was a mongrel, or an unknown breed. — Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 10 July 2025 To continue playing the songs without that mongrel soul is just cash register stuff. — Matt Thompson, SPIN, 9 Jan. 2024 And though not all 10 shows (and various bonuses) on my mostly chronological list below fit that mongrel category, even the gravest of them seem to have gotten the memo that theater should not be a bore or a drag. — Elisabeth Vincentelli, New York Times, 4 Dec. 2023 In between are a bunch of mongrel appliances that leave both humans and technology worse for wear, like a computer, in a 2024 photo by Sara Deraedt, that seems to be giving birth to a wet child. — Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for mongrel

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Transitive verb

Middle English, probably from mong mixture, short for ymong, from Old English gemong crowd

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of mongrel was in the 15th century

See more words from the same century

Browse Nearby Words

mongos

mongrel

mongrel buffalo

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Mongrel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mongrel. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

mongrel

1 of 2 noun

mon·grel

ˈməŋ-grəl,

ˈmäŋ-

: the offspring of parents of different breeds (as of dogs)

especially : one whose ancestors are unknown

: a person or thing of mixed origin

mongrel

2 of 2 adjective

: of mixed or uncertain kind or origin

mongrel

noun

transitive verb

Synonyms of mongrel

Examples of mongrel in a Sentence

Word History

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

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