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🇰🇷Korean Source WordCode: KO

폭력배

Pronunciation / Transliteration: pong-ryeok-bae

🇬🇧 Direct English Meaning:
Thug/θʌɡ/
nounCEFR C1 (Advanced)Top #8500 frequency
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🇰🇷 Example Sentence in Korean:

"경찰은 상인들을 괴롭히는 폭력배를 소탕했다."

Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As noun
  1. 1

    A violent, aggressive, or brutal criminal, often associated with gang activity or street violence.

    "The local store owner was threatened by a group of thugs demanding protection money."
  2. 2

    An aggressive and intimidating person who acts as a bully or enforcer.

    "Political thugs disrupted the peaceful rally and intimidated the speakers."
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Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum

Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

Derived from the Hindi word 'thag' (थग), meaning 'swindler' or 'thief', which ultimately comes from Sanskrit 'sthagita' meaning 'concealed' or 'fraudulent'. The term was adopted into British English during the British Raj in the 19th century to describe members of a notorious organized fraternity of professional assassins and robbers in India, later broadening to describe violent criminals generally.

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