A South Asian insult for someone utterly useless — a good-for-nothing who can't be relied on for anything.
A South Asian insult for someone utterly useless — a good-for-nothing who can't be relied on for anything. Nalayak cuts deep in cultures where family expectations and duty are core values; to call someone nalayak is to write them off as a disappointment. The word packs both frustration and exasperation into four syllables, and it's a staple of dramatic South Asian film dialogue delivered at peak volume.
His uncle slammed the table and yelled that he was a nalayak who had wasted every opportunity handed to him.
Nalayak means: A South Asian insult for someone utterly useless - a good-for-nothing who can't be relied on for anything. Nalayak cuts deep in cultures where family expectations and duty are core values; to call. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. 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.
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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Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
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(India) A bad person; a ne'er-do-well or good-for-nothing.
An Indian and South Asian English term for a lazy person or shirker — someone who avoids work or dodges responsibilities. The word comes from Hindi and Urdu and is used freely in conversation across the subcontinent. It typically carries mild contempt and is used both seriously and with affectionate exasperation.
An Indian and South Asian term for a theatrical play or dramatic production, from Sanskrit. In informal usage it can also describe someone putting on a dramatic performance or making a scene — the drama sense is a common colloquial extension. Used across Hindi, Urdu, and related languages.
(India, informal) Useless; unnecessary; of no value or purpose.
Nalayak means: A South Asian insult for someone utterly useless - a good-for-nothing who can't be relied on for anything. Nalayak cuts deep in cultures where family expectations and duty are core values; to call. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. 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.
nalayak means: A South Asian insult for someone utterly useless - a good-for-nothing who can't be relied on for anything. Nalayak cuts deep in cultures where family expectations and duty are. Register: neutral, standard English. 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.
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(India) A worthless person; good-for-nothing.
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