scurrilous
Americanadjective
-
grossly or obscenely abusive.
a scurrilous attack on the mayor.
- Synonyms:
- offensive, insulting, vituperative
-
characterized by or using low buffoonery; coarsely jocular or derisive.
a scurrilous jest.
- Synonyms:
- vulgar
adjective
-
grossly or obscenely abusive or defamatory
-
characterized by gross or obscene humour
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of scurrilous
Explanation
If something is scurrilous, it's meant to offend. Scurrilous rumors can give you a bad reputation, and scurrilous stories sell tabloid magazines. If you say something scurrilous about someone, your intentions are bad: you mean to damage their reputation or insult them (or quite possibly both). Writing an article for the school newspaper in which you claim that your math teacher has a secret life as a circus clown could be seen as a scurrilous attack, unless she proudly moonlights entertaining kids with her juggling skills. This adjective comes from the Latin scurrilis, "buffoonlike."
Vocabulary lists containing scurrilous
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Scarlet Letter
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
A Doll's House
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Scurrilous posts can go viral in a snap.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 9, 2018
Scurrilous poems did the rounds, including an exceptionally unpleasant piece of work called The Un-sex’d Females.
From The Guardian • Oct. 5, 2015
Scurrilous con artists have been known to represent gold- plated tungsten ingots as pure gold and sell them to the greedy at prices much below gold value but deservedly far above the cost of tungsten.
From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015
"Scurrilous, slanted, unfair and sensationalized . . . designed to undermine public confidence in me," sizzled FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover after reading an article in the National Observer.
From Time Magazine Archive
"Scurrilous fellow!" bellowed the attorney, unable to contain himself.
From The Sword of Honor, volumes 1 & 2 or The Foundation of the French Republic, A Tale of The French Revolution by Sue, Eug?ne
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
