jackal
A person who performs menial or routine tasks; a dogsbody.
Seen in the wild
The eagle momentarily snatched the pup from the mother's jaws, but the mother jackal pressured the eagle into dropping it. https://www.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/comments/1t54cns/the_eagle_momentarily_snatch…
Thanks Biden for jet fuel ripoff at my gas pump jackal.today/2026/05/06/t... Jackal.Today satirical news site
Another day, another black-backed jackal. Namibia, April 2026. #Mammals #Photography #Jackals #NaturePhotography #Nature #Wildlife #WildlifePhotography
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey Gets a Trailer and Suddenly Homer’s Ancient Classic is About Space Time Continuum and ExplosionFilled Action Sequences jackal.today/2026/05/05/c... Jackal.Today satirical news site
Oh Joy LEGO Batman is Back to Save the World from Certain Doom with His Awesome Bat-Dancing Skills and His Totally Not Dysfunctional Bat-Family jackal.today/2026/05/05/o... Jackal.Today satirical news site
Definitions
A person who performs menial or routine tasks; a dogsbody.
Until recently, scientists thought Ethiopian wolves were a type of jackal. They gave Ethiopian wolves names like Semien jackal, Simenian jackal, or Ethiopian jackal.
Comments
Any of certain wild canids of the genera and , native to the tropical Old World and smaller than a wolf.
"jackal" means: Any of certain wild canids of the genera and , native to the tropical Old World and smaller than a wolf.. This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
"jackal" means: Any of certain wild canids of the genera and , native to the tropical Old World and smaller than a wolf.. Register: neutral, standard English, usable in most everyday contexts. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally in a comparable context.
“The eagle momentarily snatched the pup from the mother's jaws, but the mother jackal pressured the eagle into dropping it. https://www.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/comments/1t54cns/the_eagle_momentarily_snatched_the_pup_from_the/”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Thanks Biden for jet fuel ripoff at my gas pump jackal.today/2026/05/06/t... Jackal.Today satirical news site”
— Bluesky· May 2026
Comments
(derogatory) A person who behaves in an opportunistic way; especially a base collaborator.
As we will see, the jackal is usually associated in the Indic context with death and impurity, and would therefore sit squarely at the bottom of Dumont's social hierarchy.
“Another day, another black-backed jackal. Namibia, April 2026. #Mammals #Photography #Jackals #NaturePhotography #Nature #Wildlife #WildlifePhotography”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey Gets a Trailer and Suddenly Homer’s Ancient Classic is About Space Time Continuum and ExplosionFilled Action Sequences jackal.today/2026/05/05/c... Jackal.Today satirical news site”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Oh Joy LEGO Batman is Back to Save the World from Certain Doom with His Awesome Bat-Dancing Skills and His Totally Not Dysfunctional Bat-Family jackal.today/2026/05/05/o... Jackal.Today satirical news site”
— Bluesky· May 2026“#Fairytaletuesday One of the oldest Egyptian deities, Anubis is often mistaken for a dog but is in fact a Jackal. As they dwelled in the furthermost parts of the desert, where the dead were buried, Anubis is heralded as the protector of souls, tombs & mummification.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Oh great, drones are failing us against evil Iran now jackal.today/2026/05/05/o... Jackal.Today satirical news site”
— Bluesky· May 2026
Comments
Have a better definition?
Add your own interpretation of "jackal".
⚡About Tech, Dev & AI slang
The vocabulary of software engineers, AI researchers, and anyone living in a terminal or on GitHub — from LLM to MCP, CORS to vibe coding, agentic to enshittification.
See all Tech, Dev & AI slang on Slangora.
Tags
Other words near "jackal" (J)
Browse all slang words starting with J.