scoundrel
[skoun-druh l]
- an unprincipled, dishonorable person; villain.
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- mean or base in nature; villainous; unprincipled; dishonorable.
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Origin of scoundrel
First recorded in 1580–90; origin uncertain
Synonyms
See more synonyms for scoundrel on Thesaurus.com1. scamp, rapscallion, miscreant. See knave.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for scoundrel
Contemporary Examples
As she nods off at night, Arya Stark mutters the names of every scoundrel she plans to kill someday.
Game of Thrones’ Ep. 5 'First of His Name' Recap: An Ode to the Women of WesterosAndrew Romano
May 5, 2014
A c--t is different than your run-of-the-mill jerk (or scoundrel, or creep, or whatever).
Game of Thrones’ ‘The Lion and the Rose’: Joffrey’s Demented, Shocking Royal WeddingAndrew Romano
April 14, 2014
But all too often, as Samuel Johnson famously pointed out, “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.”
Given a choice between the scoundrel and the scold, who might the people go for?
The Fox News scoundrel is at it again, this time going after the Girl Scouts for ties to a gay punk band.
Historical Examples
That scoundrel Corney has been about some mischief—damn him!
Weighed and WantingGeorge MacDonald
You make me feel like a scoundrel, and I've only been taking a little bit of happiness.
KMary Roberts Rinehart
But when the tale was told, "It's that scoundrel, Mulready!"
The Black BagLouis Joseph Vance
I am sorry because I believe there is contamination in such a scoundrel.
A Tale of Two CitiesCharles Dickens
For he did not know how best to tell her that her brother was a scoundrel.
Roden's CornerHenry Seton Merriman
scoundrel
- a worthless or villainous person
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Word Origin
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
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.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper