дерьмо is a vulgar Russian noun meaning “shit.” Literally, it refers to feces; colloquially, it is also used for something bad, worthless, unpleasant, or frustrating.
- Register: vulgar / coarse. It is common in casual speech but inappropriate in formal settings or around people who may be offended.
- Related expressions include дерьмовый (“shitty,” “crappy”), дерьмецо (“a bit of shit,” often dismissive), and говно (“shit”), which is similarly vulgar and often even more common colloquially.
- The word comes from an old Slavic root associated with excrement and is related to similar words in other Slavic languages.
Examples:
- Это полное дерьмо.
This is complete shit.
- Я наступил в дерьмо по дороге домой.
I stepped in shit on the way home.
- Этот фильм — дерьмо, не трать на него время.
This movie is shit; do not waste your time on it.
- После дождя на улице было столько грязи и дерьма.
After the rain, there was so much mud and shit outside.
- У меня сегодня дерьмовое настроение.
I am in a shitty mood today.
