dastardly
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of dastardly
Explanation
Someone who's dastardly is a scoundrel or a cowardly villain. A superhero might try to protect a city from a dastardly criminal mastermind. Use the adjective dastardly to describe a person or action that's underhanded and mean. Criminals, pirates, and bullies are all frequently called dastardly. An unprovoked military strike is also sometimes described as dastardly, referencing President Franklin Roosevelt's famous 1941 speech after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, which he called an "unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan." In the 1500s, dastardly meant "dull," from the now-obsolete dastard, "one who is lazy or dull."
Vocabulary lists containing dastardly
Rap Lyrics
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"The Ransom of Red Chief" by O. Henry
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Oh, No! Synonyms for "Bad"
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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.
But there was Mr. Pelley, on camera, expressing amazement at this alleged dastardly deed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
The 7th District, which looks like a scorpion, is appropriately dastardly, stretching from mountainous country in the western part of the state straight to expressways over the Potomac River into Washington D.C.
From Slate ● Apr. 22, 2026
The cabinet also said it "unequivocally condemns this dastardly and cowardly act that has led to the loss of innocent lives".
From BBC ● Nov. 12, 2025
Yet there’s no denying that Swift’s lyrics about love here lack the kind of depth she’s mined in tunes thought to have been inspired by the dastardly likes of John Mayer and Matty Healy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2025
It was one of those cartoon monster smiles, where the monster rubs his hands as he thinks of something dastardly.
From "Bodega Dreams" by Ernesto Quinonez
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.
