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Synonyms

scumbag

American  
[skuhm-bag] / ˈskʌmˌbæg /

noun

Slang: Vulgar.
  • scumbags
    plural
  1. a condom.

  2. a mean, despicable person.


scumbag British  
/ ˈskʌmˌbæɡ /

noun

  1. slang an offensive or despicable 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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of scumbag

First recorded in 1965–70; scum + bag

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:

"I'm not a scumbag, I'm not an idiot. I've always been a worker," he said.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2024

It does not make the neighbor a scumbag; it was obviously an accident.

From Slate ● Sep. 15, 2023

The audience at the vigil, however, was not having his lame language about how this is "unacceptable" or his efforts to sound tough by calling the killer a "major league scumbag."

From Salon ● Sep. 1, 2023

The governor on Sunday was booed at a prayer vigil for the shooting victims, where he told the crowd the gunman was "a major-league scumbag."

From Reuters ● Aug. 28, 2023

As a self-described L.A. scumbag, did you ever feel out of place shooting at that ridiculous country estate?

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2021

Rob Davies placed notices in his Run Ragged vintage shop in Wrexham, informing customers "due to scumbags shoplifting, please ask for assistance to open cabinets".

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2025

“Glass Onion” continues to give America’s entitled scumbags their due, though this time the focus isn’t on a family but rather an inner circle of self-styled disruptors.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2022

Offended: My overall point was that even scumbags have innocent mothers and other family members who deserve comfort and showing compassion toward him would comfort them.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 10, 2021

The deaths of intelligent, rational people on this show—your Tywins, your Qyburns, your Varyses—create a special pain: even if they’re scumbags, you’ll miss their competence.

From The New Yorker ● May 13, 2019

They may not have caught any terrorists yet, but they're sure getting a lot of scumbags off the streets.

From Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

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