Jackeen means: An arrogant lower-class person, especially in Dublin.. It is mainly Irish English and may not be understood outside that context. It is generally derogatory or offensive; worth a quiet word about how it lands on the person being described. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
jackeen
(Ireland, derogatory) An arrogant lower-class person, especially in Dublin.
Definitions
(Ireland, derogatory) An arrogant lower-class person, especially in Dublin.
A buckeen, a jackeen, a squireen, or any of the intermediate classes.
Jackeen means: An arrogant lower-class person, especially in Dublin.. It is mainly Irish English and may not be understood outside that context. It is generally derogatory or offensive; worth a quiet word about how it lands on the person being described. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
jackeen means: An arrogant lower-class person, especially in Dublin.. Register: very informal, often derogatory or vulgar. Avoid in formal, business, academic, or polite writing. Even in casual speech the word can offend and is best left out of a learner's active vocabulary. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.
Comments
(Ireland, derogatory, ethnic slur) , especially (obsolete, _, or, _, historic) an excessively Anglophile one.
Jackeens loitering about the Dublin theatres.
Comments
For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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Other words near "jackeen" (J)
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Semantically related
- jinnet73%
(Ireland, by extension) A stupid person; an ass.
- pinkeen71%
(Ireland) An insignificant person.
- buckeen69%
(Ireland, historical) a poor young man of the lower Anglo-Irish gentry who aspires to the habits and dress of the wealthy.
- jackarse67%
(UK, Ireland, Commonwealth) variant of jackass, (in the limited sense of) foolish or obnoxious person.