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In 2009, Cambridge classicist Mary Beard sparked a brief but notable controversy—neither her first nor her last—when her recitation of an ancient Roman poem on NPR was heavily censored. The poem, known as “Catullus 16,” is a scathing attack on two of Catullus’s critics, filled with language so explicit that it remained untranslated for centuries [PDF]. This incident highlights how Latin, often seen as the refined language of academia and theology, was also a raw and unfiltered tongue packed with biting insults meant to leave a lasting impression.
Here are 20 examples of such insults, most of which are slightly more decorous than those in “Catullus 16.” (For a translation and insightful analysis of the poem, visit this link, but be warned: the content is explicit and includes language considered offensive today.)
1. Bustirape
Use this phrase (from Plautus’s play Pseudolus) to label someone as a “grave robber,” a profession considered utterly despicable in ancient times.
2. Carnifex
This word, meaning an executioner (or literally, a “maker of meat”), highlights the Romans’ fondness for insults tied to criminal acts and harsh penalties.
3. Demens
Translating to “crazy,” this term is the origin of the English word dementia. However, E.M. Forster once humorously rendered it as “silly ass” in a short story. The narrator, Mr. Inskip, remarks, “I always bring a touch of levity to the classics.”
4. Excetra
While it resembles et cetera (“and so on”), excetra actually refers to a “water snake” and served as an insult aimed at women deemed “wicked or spiteful.”
5. Flagitium hominis
This phrase, meaning “disgraceful man,” is another biting insult originating from the works of Plautus.
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6. Foetorem extremae latrinae
For a vivid way to describe someone’s foul odor, consider this phrase from Apuleius, which means “stench of the deepest sewer.”
7. Fur
Calling someone a “thief” (fur) was a common insult. To intensify it, add “three” (tri) to create trifur, meaning “a thief three times over.”
8. I in malam crucem
Since crucifixion was a widely used method of public execution in ancient Rome, telling someone to “climb onto the dreadful cross” was essentially another way of saying “go to hell.”
9. Malus nequamque
Another insult from Plautus, malus nequamque describes someone as a “worthless scoundrel.”
10. Mastigia
Latin adopted numerous words, including insults, from Greek, such as this term meaning “someone who deserves to be whipped.”
11. Adultera meretrix
Derived from the Latin term for prostitute (meretrix), English evolved the word . Classicist Kyle Harper notes that adultera meretrix, meaning “adulterous prostitute,” may not be entirely logical but could be roughly equivalent to the crude English term “slutty.”
12. Nutricula seditiosorum omnium
Marcus Tullius Cicero favored more refined insults, such as this one directed at a Roman senator, whom he labeled the “nurturer of all troublemakers.”
13. Perfossor parietum
Literally meaning “one who breaches walls,” perfossor parietum serves as another way to insult someone by implying they are a thief.
14. Puella defututa
Catullus employed this harsh term to disparage Ameana, the mistress of his rival, who became the target of two of his insulting poems. Puella defututa roughly translates to “exhausted prostitute.”
15. Sceleste
This insult, aimed at someone evil or guilty, was a popular everyday term. As noted by classicist and translator Laura Gibbs, variations like scelerum caput (“master of crimes!”) and sceleris plenissime (“overflowing with crime!”) are equally effective.
16. Sterculinum publicum
Public restrooms were a common sight in Roman cities, so it’s no surprise that this insult draws from the mounds of waste they produced. is the rather tame Latin term for dung, making sterculinum publicum a literal “public dung heap.”
17. Spurcissime
Here’s an interesting Latin quirk: You can take a mild term like (meaning “dirty”) and intensify it by adding -issime, creating a stronger insult like spurcissime: “You utter filth!”
18. Stultissime
Here’s another example, this time adding -issime to stulte (“fool,” the root of the English word ). A fitting translation might be, “You absolute fool!”
19. Tramas putidas
Another insult from Plautus, older versions of his play Rudens translate this as “old rags” or “decayed threads,” though the more vivid “foul garbage” likely captures its essence better.
20. Verbero
“Someone who deserves a beating” was a go-to insult for—no surprise—Plautus, highlighting how Romans enjoyed using terms tied to punishment, control, and sometimes a touch of innuendo.
