Medium
Book
Prose fiction has the longest tradition of constructed profanity. Without an actor's delivery to carry weight, the invented word has to earn its power on the page alone — and the best of them do.
38 entries in the archive
Druk
≈ “Shit (literal excrement)”
/DRUK/noun
An alien word literally meaning excrement. Used in compounds like 'a druk-load of problems.'
Dwang
≈ “Shit / Crap”
/DWANG/noun
A euphemism for excrement used by clone troopers during the Clone Wars.
Shebs
≈ “Ass / Buttocks”
/SHEBZ/noun
A Mandalorian swear word meaning buttocks. Used in insults and expressions of contempt.
Zark
≈ “Fuck”
/ZARK/verb/adjective
A verb used like a substitute for 'fucking.' Likely derived from the prophet Zarquon in-universe.
D'Arvit
≈ “Damn / Fuck (extremely strong)”
/DAR-vit/interjection
A Gnommish swear word described by the author as so severe when translated that it would need to be censored.
Mud Man / Mud People
≈ “Derogatory term for humans”
/MUD-man/noun (slur)
The fairy term for humans, implying they are dirty, surface-dwelling primitives compared to the technologically advanced underground fairy civilization.
Storming
≈ “Fucking / Damn (adjective)”
/STORM-ing/adjective/interjection
The primary profane modifier in the Stormlight Archive. Derives from the devastating highstorms that dominate life on Roshar.
Crem
≈ “Crap / Shit (mild)”
/KREM/noun
The most common mild swear word on Roshar. Crem is the stony mineral runoff carried by highstorms that hardens and coats everything.
Rust and Ruin
≈ “God damn it / Jesus Christ”
/RUST and ROON/interjection
A blasphemous exclamation invoking Ruin, one of the two primal gods of Scadrial. 'Rust' refers to the destructive force of entropy.
Mother's milk in a cup
≈ “Son of a bitch / Motherfucker (shock)”
/MUTH-erz milk in a KUP/interjection
An oath expressing extreme disgust or shock. Its vulgarity is in the implication rather than explicit meaning.
Feth
≈ “Fuck”
/FETH/verb/adjective/interjection
The primary expletive of the Tanith First and Only regiment. Derived from an ancient tree spirit associated with fertility on their destroyed homeworld.
Gak
≈ “Shit / Crap”
/GAK/noun
Scatological profanity in the Gaunt's Ghosts series, equivalent to 'shit' or 'crap.'
Tanj
≈ “Damn / Fuck (acronym)”
/TANJ/interjection
An all-purpose swear word from Larry Niven's Known Space universe. Acronym for 'There Ain't No Justice.'
Thread
≈ “Damn / Hell (as exclamation of dread)”
/THRED/noun/interjection
Thread is the deadly, worm-like rain from space that destroys all organic material. Invoking it is like cursing with the name of the thing you fear most.
Fewmets
≈ “Shit / Crap”
/FYOO-mets/noun
Dragon droppings. Used as a general expletive among dragonriders who spend their days cleaning up after enormous dragons.
Frinx
≈ “Fuck / Damn”
/FRINKS/interjection
A Ferengi exclamation used by Quark, expressing shock or dismay.
Sparks
≈ “Damn / Crap (mild)”
/SPARKS/interjection
A mild exclamation used in the Reckoners series' future Earth. Generally considered one of Sanderson's less successful invented curses.
Crivens!
≈ “Christ! / Bloody hell!”
/KRIV-enz/interjection
The signature exclamation of the Nac Mac Feegle, tiny blue warrior fairies who speak in broad Scots dialect. Equivalent to 'crikey' or 'Christ!'
Lawn ornament
≈ “Slur for dwarfs”
/LAWN OR-nuh-ment/noun (slur)
A slur used against dwarfs in the Discworld, comparing them to decorative garden gnomes. Deeply offensive in-universe.
Starving
≈ “Fucking / Damn (adjective)”
/STAR-ving/adjective/interjection
Lift's personal curse word in the Stormlight Archive. Reflects her constant preoccupation with food and hunger.
Kelek's breath
≈ “God's blood / Christ almighty”
/KEL-eks BRETH/interjection
An oath invoking Kelek, one of the ten Heralds (quasi-divine figures) of the Stormlight Archive. Using a Herald's name in vain is blasphemous.
Vack
≈ “Fuck (existential dread)”
/VAK/noun/verb/interjection
The primary expletive among Striders (asteroid belt dwellers). Short for 'vacuum' — the ever-present lethal threat of space.
Scrum
≈ “Fuck”
/SKRUM/verb/noun
The primary expletive in the city of Tevanne. Functions as the world's F-word.
Goat-kissing
≈ “Annoying / Aggravating (adjective)”
/GOHT-kiss-ing/adjective (insult)
An insult implying someone or something is as annoying as a person who kisses goats. Combines animal-related degradation with mild sexual implication.
Crink
≈ “Fuck (pirate/criminal)”
/KRINK/verb/adjective
A pirate-specific swear word from the Star Wars Outer Rim. Used as an F-word equivalent in criminal circles.
Farkled
≈ “Fucked / Screwed”
/FAR-kuld/adjective
An adjectival F-word euphemism used to describe bleak or disastrous situations.
Bloodydamn
≈ “Goddamn / Fucking”
/BLUD-ee-dam/adjective/interjection
The signature expletive of the Red (lowest caste) population on Mars. A compound of 'bloody' and 'damn' fused into a single intensifier. Marks the speaker as low-born.
Gorydamn
≈ “Goddamn / Fucking (upper class)”
/GOR-ee-dam/adjective/interjection
The Gold (ruling class) equivalent of 'bloodydamn.' Same function, different word — and the difference marks your entire social identity. Darrow must learn to say this instead of 'bloodydamn' to pass as Gold.
Slag / Squab
≈ “Damn / Goddamn (class variants)”
/SLAG / SKWOB/adjective/noun
Another class-divided pair: 'slag' is the Gold adjective roughly meaning 'goddamn' while 'squab' is the Red equivalent. Using the wrong one betrays your origins.
Pixie
≈ “Spoiled rich kid / Privileged wimp”
/PIK-see/noun (insult)
An insult for Golds who lack a Peerless Scar — meaning they never proved themselves in combat. They drown in luxury and pleasure instead. Among the warrior elite, it's devastating.
Gahja
≈ “Foreigner / Outsider (slur)”
/GAH-jah/noun (slur)
A Rim term for outsiders/foreigners, directly derived from the Japanese 'gaijin.' Used by the isolationist Rim Dominion against Core dwellers.
Goddy
≈ “Damn / Bloody (exclamation)”
/GOD-ee/adjective/interjection
A future-Los Angeles exclamation used in Marie Lu's Legend series. A compressed form of 'goddamn' that has evolved naturally in the Republic's street dialect.
Tross
≈ “Crap / Crap situation”
/TROS/noun/adjective
Republic street slang for something bad, worthless, or disgusting. Used as both noun ('that's tross') and adjective ('tross luck').
Cauldron boil me
≈ “God damn / Fuck me”
/KAWL-drun BOYL mee/interjection
An oath invoking the Cauldron — the primordial magical artifact that created the fae. 'Cauldron boil me' and 'Cauldron save me' are the most common forms. Since the Cauldron is a real, powerful object in this world, invoking it carries genuine weight.
Mother above
≈ “Oh God / Dear Lord”
/MUTH-er ah-BUV/interjection
An oath invoking the Mother, a divine figure in the ACOTAR cosmology. Used by both mortal and fae characters as a milder exclamation than Cauldron-based oaths.
Tone it down / Deadish
≈ “N/A — profanity has lost its power”
/DED-ish/adjective
In Scythe's post-mortal world, death-related curses have lost their sting. Nobody fears death because everyone can be revived. The series explores how 'deadish' (temporarily dead, to be revived) replaces 'dead' — and how profanity around death becomes meaningless.
Kalad's Phantoms!
≈ “Jesus Christ! / Holy shit! (oath of shock)”
/KAL-adz FAN-tumz/interjection
An oath invoking Kalad the Usurper's legendary Lifeless army — the Phantoms. Kalad created thousands of stone-encased Lifeless soldiers that nearly destroyed civilization during the Manywar. Invoking his Phantoms is invoking the most terrifying military force in Nalthian history.
Lord of Colors!
≈ “Oh God! / Good Lord! (strong oath)”
/LORD uv KUL-erz/interjection
A stronger form of the 'Colors!' oath, elevating it by invoking a divine personification — the Lord of Colors. In Chapter 38, Lightsong actually lampoons this convention, asking why the Returned gods swear by colors rather than by their own names. His conclusion: they should just swear by 'You!'