What does bulldyke mean?
Bulldyke is a slang noun used to refer to a lesbian whose appearance or manner is strongly masculine. The word carries heavy connotations and must be handled carefully: spoken by outsiders, it has long functioned as an insult and is generally considered offensive, echoing decades of hostility toward visibly queer women. At the same time, beginning around the 1970s, some lesbians deliberately embraced the term as a self-description, transforming a slur into a declaration of pride and defiance, much as other marginalized groups have reclaimed stigmatizing language. In writing and speech today, its acceptability depends entirely on who is speaking and in what context: self-applied, it can signal solidarity and toughness; applied to someone else without their consent, it reads as a slur. The compound joins bull, suggesting bulk or aggressiveness, with dyke, itself a slang term for a lesbian. Because of its charged history, general audiences should treat bulldyke as vocabulary to be recognized and understood rather than casually used, and dictionaries typically flag it as both slang and potentially offensive.
nounA slang and frequently offensive term for a lesbian perceived as markedly masculine in appearance or manner; it can also be used self-referentially within some LGBTQ+ communities as an identity label.
- A slang, often derogatory term for a lesbian with a masculine presentation or demeanor.
- A self-descriptive identity label adopted with pride by some masculine-presenting lesbians.
"She reclaimed the word proudly, calling herself a bulldyke at the community meeting."
"The novel's narrator describes herself unapologetically as a bulldyke."
"In the 1970s bar scene, some women wore the label as armor against mainstream judgment."
Standard plural; used only when referring to multiple people who themselves identify with the term.
"The memoir recounts a circle of self-declared bulldykes who ran the neighborhood bar."
Once hurled as an insult, this word has been deliberately reclaimed by some lesbians as a badge of defiant pride.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bulldyke
Bulldyke is an American English compound formed from bull, implying masculinity or toughness, and dyke, a slang term for a lesbian that emerged in early twentieth-century American usage. Dyke itself has obscure origins, though one common theory links it to the dialect word dike or dick meaning a man, while another connects it to the hermaphrodite figure Hermaphroditus via the slang form morphodite. The compound bulldyke appeared by the mid-twentieth century and became prominent in LGBTQ+ discourse during the 1970s, when some lesbians reclaimed it as an emblem of butch pride.
Related word forms
How bulldyke is actually used
Highly informal register; when used by outsiders it is widely regarded as offensive or a slur, so extreme care is warranted. Within LGBTQ+ communities, especially since the 1970s, some individuals use it affirmatively about themselves. Avoid using it to describe others unless you are certain they embrace the label.
Easily confused with bulldyke
Dike is a neutral English word meaning an embankment or earthwork built to control water, whereas bulldyke is a slang term referring to a person.