A stupid or foolish person, or someone obsessed with insects; also a derogatory term for someone with a head shaped like an insect.
Compound word combining 'bug' (insect, or slang for crazy) with 'head.' As slang emerged in the 20th century, 'bughead' developed as a contemptuous term, similar to other 'head' compounds like 'blockhead' or 'bonehead.'
This word is a perfect example of how English creates new insults by stacking simple words together. Many old insults like 'bughead,' 'cabbage-head,' and 'numskull' are wonderfully specific about which animal or object we thought your brain resembled!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.