scoundrel
Americannoun
adjective
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, 2012Related Words
See knave.
Other Word Forms
- scoundrelly adjective
Etymology
Origin of scoundrel
First recorded in 1580–90; origin uncertain
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.
In other moments, far rarer ones, “Christy” is briefly moving, a tale of how easily naive self-determination can be manipulated by misogynist scoundrels lurking in the corner of a shadowy boxing gym.
From Salon
The world of “Star Wars” is full of scoundrels that fans can’t help but love for their swagger and independent moral code, and “Visions” installments “The Smuggler” and “The Bounty Hunters” add to that legacy.
From Los Angeles Times
As one descends the underworld’s nine circles, they must be careful not to let ne’er-do-wells and scoundrels extinguish their flame.
From Salon
Even when scoundrels are convicted, as Milton was, the prominent people who were in their orbit, if only peripherally, keep their reputations and wealth mostly intact.
It’s the last refuge of a scoundrel; apparently, we’re supposed to think of tariffs as a kind of noble sacrifice, like planting a tree you’ll never sit under, only with less shade and more inflation.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
