reprobate

[ rep-ruh-beyt ]
See synonyms for: reprobatereprobatedreprobatesreprobating on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a depraved, unprincipled, or wicked person: a drunken reprobate.

  2. a person rejected by God and beyond hope of salvation.

adjective
  1. morally depraved; unprincipled; bad.

  2. rejected by God and beyond hope of salvation.

verb (used with object),rep·ro·bat·ed, rep·ro·bat·ing.
  1. to disapprove, condemn, or censure.

  2. (of God) to reject (a person), as for sin; exclude from the number of the elect or from salvation.

Origin of reprobate

1
1400–50; late Middle English reprobaten<Latin reprobātus; past participle of reprobāre to reprove

Other words for reprobate

Other words from reprobate

  • rep·ro·ba·cy [rep-ruh-buh-see], /ˈrɛp rə bə si/, rep·ro·bate·ness, noun
  • rep·ro·bat·er, noun
  • un·rep·ro·bat·ed, adjective

Words Nearby reprobate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use reprobate in a sentence

  • I know he is a hot-blooded old reprobate—that father of yours.

    Dross | Henry Seton Merriman
  • What's me or that drunken old reprobate out there to the likes of you?

    An Old Man's Love | Anthony Trollope
  • That a base reprobate should become a Marquis and a peer of Parliament was in accordance with the constitution of the country.

    The Prime Minister | Anthony Trollope

British Dictionary definitions for reprobate

reprobate

/ (ˈrɛprəʊˌbeɪt) /


adjective
  1. morally unprincipled; depraved

  2. Christianity destined or condemned to eternal punishment in hell

noun
  1. an unprincipled, depraved, or damned person

  2. a disreputable or roguish person: the old reprobate

verb(tr)
  1. to disapprove of; condemn

  2. (of God) to destine, consign, or condemn to eternal punishment in hell

Origin of reprobate

1
C16: from Late Latin reprobātus held in disfavour, from Latin re- + probāre to approve 1

Derived forms of reprobate

  • reprobacy (ˈrɛprəbəsɪ), noun
  • reprobater, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012