goth

/ɡɒθ/US/ɡɑθ/

goth noun: a punk-derived subculture of people who predominantly dress in black, associated with mournful music and attitudes. Also the rare form of Goth.

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Noun (1)

goth (plural goths)

(uncountable) A punk-derived subculture of people who predominantly dress in black, associated with mournful music and attitudes.
- I think that goth could flower in nerdcore's embrace.
  I converted Edward Gorey's lettering into a typeface,
  befriended vampires on LJ [LiveJournal] and MySpace,
  even put that spooky echo filter on the bass[…]2005, “Goth Girls”, in MC Frontalot (music), Nerdcore Rising
- Philip has been into goth for many years, haven't you dear?
(uncountable) A style of punk rock influenced by glam rock; gothic rock.
(countable) A person who is part of the goth subculture.
- And how come you never see goths driving cars?
  We drive cars... We're just like you really, except that we listen to Cradle of Filth.2006 Feb. 17, Graham Linehan, The IT Crowd, Season 1, Episode 4
- We saw a solitary goth hanging out on a ledge by the train station.
(UK, countable, slang) A member of an alternative subculture based around rock music.
- Goth bashing became horribly fashionable in the noughties. In August 2007, another peaceful goth couple were attacked in a skate park because of the way they looked.2010 April 26, Garry Bushell, Hoolies: True Stories of Britain's Biggest Street Battles, Kings Road Publishing, →ISBN
Synonyms:

emo, grebo, greeber, mosher, rocker

Adjective (1)

goth (comparative gother, superlative gothest)

Relating to goth music or people.
- With her black clothes and dyed hair, Melanie looked very goth compared to her classmates.
- One of them looked like a total freak who had come straight off a Cirque du Soleil stage, with blue streaks in her hair, goth bracelets up her arm and so much black eyeliner that she could be on the set of Cleopatra.2014, Michelle Madow, The Secret Diamond Sisters, page 39

Noun (2) capitalized: Goth

Goth (countable and uncountable, plural Goths)

A member of the East Germanic people known for their invasion of the western Roman Empire and subsequent founding of successor states in Italy and Spain during Late Antiquity.
(figuratively) An uncivilized person, a barbarian, a vandal.
(alternative) Alternative form of goth (“member of gothic subculture; or the subculture itself”).
- For most Mansonites, Goth is only a phase, and their fashion and outlook on life change alongside Marilyn Manson's.2007, Raven Digitalis, Goth Craft: The Magickal Side of Dark Culture

Adjective (2) capitalized: Goth

Goth (comparative more Goth, superlative most Goth)

(alternative) Alternative form of goth.
- Kayla's look tended to change with the seasons; at the moment it was less Goth than paramilitary, with laced jump boots.2003, Mercedes Lackey, Rosemary Edghill, James P. Baen, Mad Maudlin

Proper noun capitalized: Goth

Goth (plural Goths)

A surname

Also used as

goth is also the rare form of Goth.

goth meaning in Hindi, Marathi, Urdu and Bengali

goth in Marathi

punk-derived subculture of people who predominantly dress in black: गॉथ gŏth
style of bleak rock music; gothic rock: गॉथ gŏth
person who is part of the goth subculture: गॉथ gŏth
relating to this music or these people: गॉथ gŏth

goth in Bengali

গোথ

More languagesFewer languages

goth in Telugu: గోత్, గోథ్
goth in Malayalam: ഗോത്ത്, ഗോത്
goth in Kannada: ಗೋತ್, ಗೋಥ್
goth in Punjabi: ਗੋਥ, ਗੌਥ
goth in Odia: ଗୋଥ୍, ଗୋଥ
goth in Nepali: गॉथ

Examples of goth in a sentence

The goth subculture has its own mode of dress, and it has a characteristic musical style.
I really like the goth aesthetic you've got going there.
That goth woman is very gritty.

All 23 example sentences with goth

Synonyms of goth

emo
grebo
greeber
mosher
rocker

All synonyms of goth

Forms of goth

Noun
plural	goths
plural	Goths
alternative form (rare)	goth
Adjective
comparative	gother
superlative	gothest
comparative	more Goth
superlative	most Goth
Proper noun
plural	Goths

Plural of goth: goths

Origin of goth

From gothic rock, first used by John Stickney in reference to The Doors in 1967 and used by the late 1970s to describe the musical scene that gave rise to the goth subculture, both from a supposed aesthetic similarity to dark and moody 19th century gothic fiction and earlier gothic art and architecture, from Late Latin gothicus (“Gothic, barbaric”), from Ancient Greek Γοτθικός (Gotthikós), from Ancient Greek Γότθοι (Gótthoi, “Goths”) + -ικός (-ikós, “-ic”), proposed to derive from unattested Gothic *𐌲𐌿𐍄𐌰 (*guta).

From Middle English Gothes, Gotes (both plural). In turn partly from Old English Gotan, singular Gota, and partly from Late Latin Gothi. Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *gutô, perhaps from *geutaną (“to pour”). Compare Old Norse Goti (“Gotlander, Goth”), and related also to Gutnish, Gotland.

Words formed from goth

Phrases with goth

Words that rhyme with goth

Questions about goth

What does goth mean?: Goth means a punk-derived subculture of people who predominantly dress in black, associated with mournful music and attitudes.
What is goth in Hindi?: Goth in Hindi is गोथ, गॉथ. See Goth meaning in Hindi.
What part of speech is goth?: Goth can be a noun, an adjective or a proper noun.
How do you pronounce goth?: Goth is pronounced /ɡɒθ/ (UK).
What is the plural of goth?: The plural of goth is goths.

Words near goth in the dictionary

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-ca-goth.oga, LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-Goth.wav.

Cite this entry: “goth.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/goth. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.