reprobate

[rep-ruh-beyt]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR reprobate ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

a person rejected by God and beyond hope of salvation.

adjective

morally depraved; unprincipled; bad.

rejected by God and beyond hope of salvation.

verb (used with object), rep·ro·bat·ed, rep·ro·bat·ing.

to disapprove, condemn, or censure.

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

Nearby words

Origin of reprobate

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

SYNONYMS FOR reprobate

1. tramp, scoundrel, wastrel, miscreant, wretch, rascal, cad, rogue. 2. outcast, pariah. 3. wicked, sinful, evil, corrupt. 5. reprehend, blame, rebuke, reprove.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR reprobate ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsrep·ro·ba·cy

[rep-ruh-buh-see] /ˈrɛp rə bə si/, rep·ro·bate·ness, nounrep·ro·bat·er, nounun·rep·ro·bat·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for reprobate

Afterward, there is rarely satisfaction, just final proof that Johnny Flameout is a reprobate.
Cavalcade of Bad Boy Flameouts|Eric Dezenhall|March 4, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Reprobate as he was himself, this work of villainy was new to him and seemed to be very terrible.
The Way We Live Now|Anthony Trollope
A sinner before God, reprobate to His creatures, he has earned curse and execration till the very verge of Resurrection.
The Bbur-nma in English|Babur, Emperor of Hindustan
Seared in their consciences, they were truly given over to a reprobate mind.
Salt Water|W. H. G. Kingston

But, much as I reprobate the act, much more do I reprobate the conduct of those who were by and saw the outrage perpetrated.
Charles Sumner; his complete works, volume 5 (of 20)|Charles Sumner
Three men under the king were chiefly responsible for these atrocities, and all three were reprobate Covenanters.
Sketches of the Covenanters|J. C. McFeeters

British Dictionary definitions for reprobate

reprobate

adjective

morally unprincipled; depraved

Christianity destined or condemned to eternal punishment in hell

noun

an unprincipled, depraved, or damned person

a disreputable or roguish personthe old reprobate

verb (tr)

to disapprove of; condemn

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

Derived Formsreprobacy (ˈrɛprəbəsɪ), nounreprobater, noun

Word Origin for reprobate

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

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

Word Origin and History for reprobate

reprobate

adj.

early 15c., "rejected as worthless," from Late Latin reprobatus, past participle of reprobare "disapprove, reject, condemn," from Latin re- "opposite of, reversal of previous condition" (see re-) + probare "prove to be worthy" (see probate (n.)). Earliest form of the word in English was a verb, meaning "to disapprove" (early 15c.).

reprobate

1540s, "one rejected by God," from reprobate (adj.). Sense of "abandoned or unprincipled person" is from 1590s.

reprobate

noun

adjective

verb (used with object), rep·ro·bat·ed, rep·ro·bat·ing.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of reprobate

Examples from the Web for reprobate

reprobate

adjective

noun

verb (tr)

Word Origin for reprobate

reprobate

reprobate