Phrase guide

pearls before swine

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Something of value, beauty, refinement, or wisdom left to people who will not appreciate it.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic, plural, plural-only

Examples

  • Your lecture deserved a much better reception than it got. Pearls before swine!

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

See cast pearls before swine.

Across languages

Translations

7 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: helmiä sioille — something valuable left to unappreciating people
  • Hebrew: נזם זהב באף חזיר (nezem zahav be'af ħazīr) — something valuable left to unappreciating people
  • Hungarian: disznók elé szórt/vetett/dobott gyöngy — something valuable left to unappreciating people
  • Japanese: 猫に小判 (neko ni koban) — something valuable left to unappreciating people
  • Japanese: 豚に真珠 (buta ni shinju) — something valuable left to unappreciating people
  • Polish: perły przed wieprze — something valuable left to unappreciating people
  • Thai: ไก่ได้พลอย (gài-dâai-plɔɔi) — something valuable left to unappreciating people