Dictionary.com

shyster

[ shahy-ster ]
/ ˈʃaɪ stər /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for shyster on Thesaurus.com
noun Informal.
a lawyer who uses unprofessional or questionable methods.
a person who gets along by petty, sharp practices.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
candystring
candyfloss
candypuff
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of shyster

1835–45, Americanism; probably <German Scheisser, equivalent to scheiss(en) to shit + -er-er1; final -ser conformed to -ster

OTHER WORDS FROM shyster

shy·ster·ism, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH shyster

ambulance chaser, mouthpiece, pettifogger, shyster

Words nearby shyster

shy, shy away from, Shylock, Shymkent, shypoo, shyster, si, siabon, Siad Barre, sial, sialadenitis
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to shyster

cheater, chiseler, mouthpiece, pettifogger, scammer, trickster, ambulance chaser

How to use shyster in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for shyster

shyster
/ (ˈʃaɪstə) /
noun
informal, mainly US a person, esp a lawyer or politician, who uses discreditable or unethical methods

Word Origin for shyster

C19: probably based on Scheuster, name of a disreputable 19th-century New York lawyer
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
FEEDBACK