scoundrel
Americannoun
adjective
noun
Synonym Usage
See knave.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of scoundrel
First recorded in 1580–90; origin uncertain
Explanation
A scoundrel is a person who does deliberately evil things. If your brother hides a fake mouse in your shoe and you therefore almost have a heart attack while getting dressed, you have every right to call him a scoundrel. Though the term scoundrel isn’t used as much as it once was, it’s the perfect way to describe someone who breaks the law, has no morals, or someone like your sneaky sibling who loves to play practical jokes. Most villains in movies and on television can be put in this category. Interestingly, though women are quite capable of equally wicked behavior, this particular term is usually reserved for men.
Vocabulary lists containing scoundrel
Scrooge, Grinch, and Churl: Wonderful Words for Unpleasant People
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"The Treasure of Lemon Brown"
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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
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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.
“Anthony the Turk” sounds like the sobriquet of a scoundrel in a Mafia movie.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
"The 'someone planted the evidence' defense," he wrote, "is the last refuge of a scoundrel."
From Salon • May 3, 2024
A nefarious scoundrel in Season 1, his second season arc takes him from nemesis to mentor.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 28, 2023
He would be a scoundrel if he were Brad Pitt, but he’s not.
From Washington Post • Feb. 10, 2023
I knew my mother thought the marriage was a scandal, but this was the first I guessed that she saw Miss Love as a scoundrel, a villain, out to steal hers and Aunt Loma’s inheritance.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
