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Thug is a term for a violent, lawless person, especially a man.

The word was originally used in the 1800s as a name for members of a group of men in India said to be professional criminals and murderers. In this use, it is sometimes capitalized.

Since then, thug has come to have a more general meaning similar to its more old-fashioned synonym ruffian. The act of behaving as a thug is known as thuggery. The adjective form of thug is thuggish. In this sense, thug often refers to someone who acts as a bully or is a professional and violent criminal, as in The mafia sent hired thugs to intimidate store owners.

However, in the U.S., the word thug has a history of being used by racist white people who specifically apply it to African American men to portray them as violent criminals. When used in this way, it is often thought to function as a substitute for a racist slur.

For this reason, some African Americans have reclaimed the word as a positive identifier. It is especially used in hip-hop, particularly in the phrase thug life.

The first records of the word thug come from the early 1800s. It comes from the Hindi word thag, meaning “rogue,” “thief,” or “cheat.” This derives from the Sanskrit sthaga, which means “scoundrel” and comes from the verb sthagati, “to conceal.”

During the British colonization and rule of India in the 1800s, Thug was used to refer to members of the so-called Thuggee Cult. These Thugs were said to be professional criminals and assassins who robbed travelers and murdered them by strangulation. The British arrested and imprisoned thousands of Indians that they identified as Thugs, executed many of them, and claimed to have eliminated the entire organization. However, some historians believe that the British exaggerated the presence and methods of the Thugs as a means of suppression.

The word thug itself, however, entered the popular imagination and eventually came to be used in a general way to refer to bullies and violent criminals. Gangsters and armed robbers are often described as thugs. The word almost always implies a tendency for violence.

Sometimes, though, it’s used to conceal a racist implication: labeling a Black man as a thug is often a way to imply that all Black men are thugs—that they’re all prone to violence and crime. For this reason, use of the word, such as in journalism and by politicians, is often criticized as promoting these racist stereotypes.

The reclaimed use of the word thug by Black people is intended to highlight and counter these stereotypes. This use of the term was popularized in hip-hop by 1990s rapper Tupac Shakur, who characterized thug life as a struggle against racism and injustice.

What are some other forms related to thug?

• thuggish (adjective)
• thuggery (noun)

What are some synonyms for thug?

• ruffian
• roughneck
• tough

What are some words that share a root or word element with thug?��

• thuggee
• thug life

What are some words that often get used in discussing thug?

• violent
• criminal
• murderer
• assassin
• robber
• racist

The word thug is usually (but not always) applied to men. Its racist use makes its other uses controversial.

I wish media would treat Batman a bit more like Sherlock Holmes and less like a violent thug. Actually solving mysteries, making deductions from tiny things and such.

— Mike Bentley🏳️‍🌈 (@PsychoticDreams)

Remember this when protesters are all blanketedly called "thugs" 👇

— Kavontae Smalls (@KavontaeSmalls)

The police arresting CARE TAKERS. What message are you sending to your citizens when the most compassionate among us are treated like thugs!

— Jack Slack (@mostly___carbon)

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