What does bullshitter mean?
A bullshitter is a person who habitually talks nonsense or speaks insincerely, typically with confidence and fluency designed to impress, mislead, or evade scrutiny. The word derives from the vulgar slang term 'bullshit,' meaning empty or deceptive talk, combined with the agentive suffix '-er' to denote someone who engages in it. Unlike a simple liar, who knowingly states falsehoods, a bullshitter is often characterized by indifference to truth altogether — a distinction famously explored in philosopher Harry Frankfurt's essay 'On Bullshit.' The term is strongly informal and mildly vulgar, so it belongs in casual conversation rather than formal writing. It appears most often in workplace, political, and social commentary, where it conveys blunt contempt for glib, self-serving patter. Related forms include the verb 'to bullshit' and the noun 'bullshit' itself.
nounA person who habitually talks nonsense or speaks insincerely, especially in a confident, persuasive way intended to impress, deceive, or deflect. The term is coarse slang and implies habitual rather than occasional dishonesty.
- A person who habitually speaks insincerely or with confident nonsense to deceive, impress, or avoid accountability.
"Don't hire him as a consultant — he's a charming bullshitter who can't back up a single claim."
"Every office has one resident bullshitter who somehow turns vague buzzwords into a promotion."
"He was such a practiced bullshitter that even his closest friends stopped believing his stories about meeting celebrities."
Regular plural; used when referring to multiple people given to this behavior.
"The panel was full of bullshitters, but only one of them had actually read the report."
The philosopher Harry Frankfurt built an entire celebrated book — 'On Bullshit' (2005) — on the insight that the bullshitter is worse than the liar: the liar at least respects the truth enough to hide it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bullshitter
Bullshitter is formed from 'bullshit' — American slang of the early twentieth century meaning nonsense or insincere talk — plus the agentive suffix '-er'. The 'bull' element likely reflects the older sense of 'bull' meaning elaborate, deceitful talk, attested since the seventeenth century, whose ultimate origin remains uncertain. The derivative 'bullshitter' arose in mid-twentieth-century American English and spread throughout the English-speaking world.
Related word forms
How bullshitter is actually used
Strongly informal and mildly vulgar, derived from 'bullshit'; unsuitable for formal writing or polite company. It carries stronger contempt than 'fibber' but is generally less offensive than many other expletives. Common in both American and British English, though frequency varies by social context.
Easily confused with bullshitter
Despite the shared 'bull' element and the -er suffix, 'bullshitter' has nothing to do with machinery; it refers exclusively to someone who speaks nonsense.