Synonyms & related words for thug

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of thug — including hoodlum, goon, gangster, mobster, hooligan, mafioso. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to thug

Explore words related to thug — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include thuggish, gangsterdom, thuggery, hoodlumism, gangsta, rapparee, gangsterism, lowlife. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for thug

Common synonyms for thug include hoodlum, goon, gangster, mobster, hooligan, mafioso, bandit, mugger — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does thug come from?

The word thug breaks down into one root of Hindi origin: the root thug-, from Hindi thag (“cheat, swindler”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.