What does perisher mean?
Perisher is an uncommon English noun that most often names a contemptible or irritating person. In this figurative sense, it is stronger and more openly dismissive than words such as nuisance and often suggests that the person deserves misfortune rather than merely making a mistake. It occurs chiefly in British and Australian English and has an old-fashioned, informal tone; in some contexts it may be teasing rather than seriously hostile. An older, broader sense refers to a person or thing that perishes or is doomed to perish, giving the word a literal or literary flavour that can appear in descriptions of fragile plants, animals, or mechanisms. The formation is transparent: perisher was made by adding -er to perish, so the word preserves both the central idea of death or ruin and a more aggressive implication when applied to a human being. Though rarely needed in everyday speech, perisher is useful for colouring a sentence with irritation, disdain, or archaic dramatic force.
nounAn annoying or contemptible person, especially one regarded as deserving misfortune. In an older or more literal sense, a person or thing that perishes or is doomed to perish.
- An annoying or contemptible person.
- A person or thing that perishes or is destined to perish.
"You careless perisher—you promised to mend the gate and then vanished."
"That careless perisher has upset the whole class again."
"The seedling was a perisher, barely surviving the first frost."
The regular plural is used when referring to several contemptible or annoying people.
"Those two perishers left the equipment lying in the rain."
Perisher adds a dash of contempt to perish: what dies is a thing, but what earns the label is a person.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does perisher come from?
Perisher was formed in English by adding the suffix -er to perish. Perish comes through Old French perir from Latin perire, a word associated with passing away, perishing, or being destroyed. The same root also appears in English derivatives such as perishable and perishing.
How perisher is actually used
The word is informal and often openly dismissive, although it can be teasing rather than seriously hostile. Its older literary sense can sound archaic or theatrical.
Easily confused with perisher
Perish is a verb meaning to die or be destroyed, whereas perisher is a noun naming a person or thing that perishes or, more commonly, a contemptible person.