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Showing results for scapegrace. Search instead for scapegraces.
Synonyms

scapegrace

American  
[skeyp-greys] / ˈskeɪpˌgreɪs /

noun

  1. a complete rogue or rascal; a habitually unscrupulous person; scamp.


scapegrace British  
/ ˈskeɪpˌɡreɪs /

noun

  1. an idle mischievous person

"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

Etymology

Origin of scapegrace

First recorded in 1800–10; scape 2 + grace

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.

See Examples For:

Young Andrew, by contrast, looked a bit of a scapegrace, tie askew.

From The Wall Street Journal Nov. 2, 2025

The Porters were his difficult, scapegrace father’s family; the Coles were his mother’s rich and ambitious Indiana family.

From The New Yorker Jan. 13, 2020

I knew that what I did as a 16-year-old in Virginia would forever be a hellhound on my trail, but I hoped that I had outpaced my scapegrace.

From New York Times Oct. 16, 2018

While King Henry's England is threatened by rebellion, the king's scapegrace son Hal haunts the taverns of London, his companions a crew of rogues and...

From Slate Nov. 7, 2016

There was a scapegrace fellow in the crowd named Ktesippos, a Samian, rich beyond all measure, arrogant with riches, early and late a bidder for Odysseus’ queen.

From "The Odyssey" by Homer

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