Origins
The word 'bully' has traveled one of the most surprising semantic paths in English, beginning as a term of tender affection and ending as one of casual cruelty.βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ When it first appeared in English in the 1530s, 'bully' meant 'sweetheart' or 'darling.' Today it means a person who systematically intimidates those weaker than themselves. The journey between those two meanings reveals something about how English speakers process power, affection, and bravado.
The most widely accepted etymology traces 'bully' to Middle Dutch 'boel,' meaning 'lover, sweetheart, brother.' This is related to Middle High German 'buole' (brother, lover, close relative) and probably to the diminutive or familiar form of 'brother' in several Germanic dialects. The word entered English during a period of extensive Dutch-English contact β the Low Countries and England were closely linked by trade, migration, and political alliance throughout the sixteenth century.
In its earliest English uses, 'bully' is a term of endearment. It could be applied to either sex and expressed intimate affection. By the mid-sixteenth century, the word had broadened to mean 'fine fellow' or 'gallant' β a term of hearty male admiration. Shakespeare uses it this way repeatedly. In 'The Merry Wives of Windsor' (c. 1597), Falstaff greets the Host with 'How now, my bully!' and the Host responds with 'Bully knight! Bully Sir John!' The word is warm, jovial, back-slapping.
Literary History
In 'A Midsummer Night's Dream,' Bottom addresses his fellow actors as 'bully Bottom' and 'bully' is clearly a term of camaraderie and enthusiasm. There is no trace of intimidation in Shakespeare's usage β only affection and admiration.
The semantic turn began in the late seventeenth century, when 'bully' started to shade from 'fine fellow' toward 'blusterer' and 'swaggerer.' A bully was still brave, still bold β but now excessively so, and with less substance behind the swagger. The 'bully' became the loud man at the tavern, the one who threw his weight around. From there it was a short step to the modern sense: someone who uses their strength or position to intimidate others, particularly those who cannot defend themselves.
By the eighteenth century, the negative sense had largely displaced the positive one in standard usage. Samuel Johnson's Dictionary (1755) defines 'bully' as 'a noisy, blustering, overbearing fellow.' The original meaning of 'sweetheart' was already archaic.
Later History
Yet the positive sense never entirely vanished. It survived in specific phrases and contexts. Theodore Roosevelt's characteristic exclamation 'Bully!' β meaning 'excellent!' or 'splendid!' β preserves the older admiring sense, as does the term 'bully pulpit,' which Roosevelt used for the presidency: a 'bully' (splendid) platform from which to advocate an agenda. 'Bully beef' (corned beef, from French 'bouilli,' boiled) is a separate word entirely, often confused with this one.
The phrase 'bully for you!' β meaning 'good for you!' β also preserves the positive sense, though it is now often used sarcastically, which itself illustrates the word's tonal drift. What was once genuine admiration became ironic applause.
The modern anti-bullying movement has given the word enormous cultural weight in the twenty-first century. 'Bully' is now primarily associated with childhood cruelty, workplace harassment, and abuse of power. The word carries moral condemnation that would have baffled its earliest users, who meant nothing more than 'my dear' or 'my fine friend.' The complete reversal β from the warmest affection to the coldest exploitation of power β makes 'bully' one of the most semantically transformed words in the English vocabulary.