as in villains
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person
some scoundrel stole my wallet
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Recent Examples of scoundrels
New Orleans has long been notorious for embracing such scoundrels, a reputation that isn’t exactly helped by the fact that, for many years, disgraced attorneys who lost their licenses in Louisiana and applied for readmission to the bar often got it.
—
Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
Political leaders who encourage or tolerate such scoundrels should be driven from office.
—Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 23 Feb. 2026
Giannis, a gentleman even in this era of scoundrels, likely wants to do right by the Bucks, too.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 3 Dec. 2025
These twin influences, religious fervor and a preoccupation with dangerous men, would go on to define the next six decades of the director’s working life, finding expression as a conviction that even scoundrels are in possession of a soul.
—Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 31 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, the nation’s financial titans, so admired during the boom years, were recast as villains and scoundrels.
—Barbara Spindel, Christian Science Monitor, 21 Oct. 2025
Swashbucklers, scoundrels, bandits and buccaneers will soon be bellying up to the bar inside a lively new pirate pub at Walt Disney World that’s already booked solid for the first two months and promises to be a must-have reservation for visitors.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 29 Aug. 2025
Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
Political leaders who encourage or tolerate such scoundrels should be driven from office.
—Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 23 Feb. 2026
Giannis, a gentleman even in this era of scoundrels, likely wants to do right by the Bucks, too.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 3 Dec. 2025
These twin influences, religious fervor and a preoccupation with dangerous men, would go on to define the next six decades of the director’s working life, finding expression as a conviction that even scoundrels are in possession of a soul.
—Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 31 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, the nation’s financial titans, so admired during the boom years, were recast as villains and scoundrels.
—Barbara Spindel, Christian Science Monitor, 21 Oct. 2025
Swashbucklers, scoundrels, bandits and buccaneers will soon be bellying up to the bar inside a lively new pirate pub at Walt Disney World that’s already booked solid for the first two months and promises to be a must-have reservation for visitors.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scoundrels
Noun
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The complexity of individuals – the truth that heroes could commit bad acts and that villains could at times be redeemed – was seared into Foxman from childhood.—
Ron Kampeas,
Sun Sentinel,
11 May 2026
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The Dodgers’ production team created a video this spring in which the two-time reigning World Series champions embrace the role of villains.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
8 May 2026
Noun
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That’s happened in several Mid Atlantic rivers, but in the absence of larger brutes like blues and flathead, channels will thrive and can break the 15-pound mark.—
Joe Cermele,
Outdoor Life,
9 Apr. 2026
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In Raspail’s tale, hordes of impoverished and dark-skinned brutes from India descend onto French shores by way of rafts, the first wave of an invasion of the civilized West by the brown-skinned developing world.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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When unhoused people are treated as criminals, they are pushed into an identity of exclusion rather than belonging.—
Shianne LeClaire,
Hartford Courant,
17 May 2026
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That’s the job of law enforcement, who make arrests, judges who sentence criminals to pay for their crimes, and a parole board that cares about public safety.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scoundrels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scoundrels. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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