scoundrel

[ skoun-druhl ]

/ ˈskaʊn drəl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR scoundrel ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an unprincipled, dishonorable person; villain.

adjective

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

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

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 Westeros|Andrew Romano|May 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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 Wedding|Andrew Romano|April 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But all too often, as Samuel Johnson famously pointed out, “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.”
Putin’s Patriotism is Phony, His Desperation is Real|Andrew Nagorski|April 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Given a choice between the scoundrel and the scold, who might the people go for?
Bring on the Made-for-Reality-TV District Race Down South|Michelle Cottle|February 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST

He is not crassly referred to as a cheater, a scoundrel or a liar.
Petraeus Affair Stereotypes: The General, The Flirt And The Harlot|Robin Givhan|November 15, 2012|DAILY BEAST
He must have been all in when that scoundrel dragged him back inside the burning building.
The Auto Boys' Mystery|James A. Braden
With that the scoundrel whipped out a revolver and pointed it at me.
A Bid for Fortune|Guy Boothby
Is the scoundrel so devoid of devices that he has to go back on an old exploded villany?
Sir Brook Fossbrooke, Volume II.|Charles James Lever
William Scott had believed that the "artist" was a scoundrel the first time he laid eyes on him.
Fighting the Traffic in Young Girls|Various
Does your ladyship still imagine that I could be such a scoundrel?
A Double Knot|George Manville Fenn

British Dictionary definitions for scoundrel

scoundrel

/ (ˈskaʊndrəl) /

noun

a worthless or villainous person

Derived Forms

scoundrelly, 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

scoundrel

noun

adjective

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of scoundrel

SYNONYMS FOR scoundrel

Examples from the Web for scoundrel

British Dictionary definitions for scoundrel

scoundrel

noun

Derived Forms

Word Origin for scoundrel