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scoundrel

[ skoun-druhl ]
/ ˈskaʊn drəl /
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noun

an unprincipled, dishonorable person; villain.

adjective

mean or base in nature; villainous; unprincipled; dishonorable.

RELATED WORDS

crook, rascal, reprobate, miscreant, cheat, dastard, maggot, thief, imp, villain, wretch, good-for-nothing, heel, caitiff, vagabond, scalawag, blackguard, creep, scamp, lowlife

Nearby words

scottsbluff, scottsboro, scottsdale, scotty, scotus, scoundrel, scoundrelly, scour, scourer, scourge, scouring pad

Origin of scoundrel

First recorded in 1580–90; origin uncertain
SYNONYMS FOR scoundrel
1 scamp, rapscallion, miscreant. See knave.
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR scoundrel ON THESAURUS.COM
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for scoundrel

British Dictionary definitions for scoundrel

scoundrel

/ (ˈskaʊndrəl) /

noun

a worthless or villainous person
Derived Formsscoundrelly, adjective

Word Origin for scoundrel

C16: of unknown origin
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 scoundrel

scoundrel

n.

1580s, skowndrell, of unknown origin. One suggestion is Anglo-French escoundre (Old French escondre) "to hide, hide oneself," from Vulgar Latin *excondere, from Latin condere "to hide" (see abscond). The main objection to this theory is that hundreds of years lie between the two words.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper