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.
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
Why you should let it fade: Nostalgia proved to be a dastardly curse with “Little Fockers,” a theatrical experience memorable only for how dry and tiresome its comic beats were.
From Salon • Jan. 4, 2026
“How devastating it would be that the community is coming together after the fires and they are scared away because of some dastardly act,” Cunin said.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 14, 2025
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
Flora Baumbach clapped a hand to her mouth on hearing "dastardly."
From "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin
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.
