varmints
Pesky critters — and sometimes pesky people.
Also called varmint, vermin.
Updated September 24, 2026
varmints pronunciation
/VAHR-mints/
Meaning
Rural Southern word for animals that cause trouble around the place: raccoons in the trash, coyotes after chickens, groundhogs under the shed. Singular is varmint. Same label can land on a mischievous kid or an annoying grown person, half joking and half not. Bigger and meaner-sounding than city "vermin."
How folks use it
- “Those varmints tore into the chicken feed again.”
- “Get them little varmints out of my tool shed before they break something.”
Origin and etymology
Dialect form of vermin, with the vowel shift you also hear in words like parson from person. Spelling varmint shows up in American English by the early 1800s. Transferred use for a troublesome person goes back further in English. Strongly tied to Southern and South Midland country talk.
Frequently asked questions
Can you call a person a varmint?
Yes. Usually a playful dig at a kid or somebody being a nuisance, not a formal insult.