miscreant

[mis-kree-uhnt]

adjective

1. depraved, villainous, or base.

2. Archaic.,  holding a false or unorthodox religious belief; heretical.

noun

1. a vicious or depraved person; villain.

2. Archaic.,  a heretic or infidel.

miscreant

/ ˈmɪskrɪənt /

noun

1. a wrongdoer or villain

2. archaic,  an unbeliever or heretic

adjective

1. evil or villainous

2. archaic,  unbelieving or heretical

Word History and Origins

Origin of miscreant¹

1350–1400; Middle English < Middle French mescreant unbelieving, equivalent to mes- mis- ¹ + creant ≪ Latin crēdent- credent

Word History and Origins

Origin of miscreant¹

C14: from Old French mescreant unbelieving, from mes- _mis- ¹ + creant, ultimately from Latin credere to believe

Example Sentences

Efforts around the country to prosecute even those low-level schemers, cheaters and 2020 election miscreants have produced mixed results.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Dustin is an inveterate miscreant who blows town for the Army.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The Indian prime minister is a liar and a miscreant, but even he seems to grasp that such an act would be preposterous.

Read more on Salon

In an effort to counter the worst offenders Cloudflare previously developed a system where the worst miscreants would be sent to a "Labyrinth" of web pages filled with AI generated junk.

Read more on BBC

The cop crouches beside him and vigorously “performs CPR,” pumping nearly all the blood from the dying miscreant’s body with every squeeze.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• culprit 
• felon 
• hoodlum 
• lowlife 
• pickpocket 
• wrongdoer