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Scofflaw Was Created for a Contest
In 1924, a wealthy Massachusetts Prohibitionist named Delcevare King sponsored a contest in which he asked participants to coin an appropriate word to mean "a lawless drinker." King sought a word that would cast violators of Prohibition laws in a light of shame. Two respondents came up independently with the winning word: scofflaw, formed by combining the verb scoff and the noun law. Henry Dale and Kate Butler, also of Massachusetts, split King’s $200 prize. Improbably, despite some early scoffing from language critics, scofflaw managed to pick up steam in English and expand to a meaning that went beyond its Prohibition roots, referring to one who violates any law, not just laws related to drinking.
Examples of scofflaw in a Sentence
Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2026
Albany further protects scofflaws by limiting the quantity and location of cameras.
—Richard Robbins, New York Daily News, 19 Jan. 2026
The United States' transition from a law builder and sustainer, however flawed and hypocritical, to international scofflaw is more dangerous than many observers may think.
—Brian Finucane, Foreign Affairs, 26 Nov. 2025
This now means the only way to stop such scofflaw landlords is to file a lawsuit and seek injunction and attorney fees.
—Kelly G. Richardson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scofflaw
Cite this Entry
“Scofflaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scofflaw. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
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