scalawag

[ skal-uh-wag ]
See synonyms for scalawag on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a scamp; rascal.

  2. U.S. History. a native white Southerner who collaborated with the occupying forces during Reconstruction, often for personal gain.

Origin of scalawag

1
An Americanism dating back to 1840–50; origin uncertain
  • Also scal·ly·wag [skal-ee-wag]; /ˈskæl iˌwæg/; especially British, scal·la·wag .

Other words from scalawag

  • scal·a·wag·ger·y, noun
  • scal·a·wag·gy, adjective

Words Nearby scalawag

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use scalawag in a sentence

  • I'd like to give her a line on that handsome scalawag—before it's too late.

    Fore! | Charles Emmett Van Loan

British Dictionary definitions for scalawag

scalawag

/ (ˈskæləˌwæɡ) /


noun
  1. a variant of scallywag

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