shyster
a lawyer who uses unprofessional or questionable methods.
a person who gets along by petty, sharp practices.
Origin of shyster
1Other words from shyster
- shy·ster·ism, noun
Words that may be confused with shyster
- ambulance chaser, mouthpiece, pettifogger, shyster
Words Nearby shyster
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use shyster in a sentence
On her application for asylum she listened to shyster legal counsel.
One of the latest biographies of Lincoln credits him with many of the artifices of the "shyster."
Abraham Lincoln, Volume 2 (of 2) | William H. HerndonWith all that he was approaching forty a shyster lawyer, living on the blackmail he shared with the police.
Max Fargus | Owen JohnsonHe was in no humor to be bluffed by a pompous shyster lawyer.
The Best Policy | Elliott FlowerAt each stage we spoke dutifully of the scene and its associations; I sketched, the shyster spouted poetry and copied epitaphs.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 13 (of 25) | Robert Louis Stevenson
Two trifles, indeed, completed though they scarcely changed my conception of the shyster.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 13 (of 25) | Robert Louis Stevenson
British Dictionary definitions for shyster
/ (ˈʃaɪstə) /
informal, mainly US a person, esp a lawyer or politician, who uses discreditable or unethical methods
Origin of shyster
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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