as in bastard
a person whose behavior is offensive to others
don't romanticize that con artist, as she's nothing more than a scumbag who cheats the most vulnerable
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Recent Examples of scumbag
This is a scumbag move and incentivizes me to dump them.
—
Matt Audilet, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2025
The sequel to 2021's Furioza brings us back into the dark and unsettling Polish underworld, as a young scumbag gets stuck under the thumb of the police and has to infiltrate a notorious prison as an informant.
—PC Magazine, 10 Oct. 2025
Since then, he's played killers, cops, aliens, scumbags, and mean dads in films like Cop Land (1997), The Faculty (1998), and Walk the Line (2005), as well as series such as The X-Files (2000–2002), 1923 (2022–2025), and Peacemaker (2022–present).
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Sep. 2025
Once the province of bikers and sailors and scumbags, tattoos now appear on nearly one-third of all Americans.
—John Semley, The Atlantic, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scumbag
Matt Audilet, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2025
The sequel to 2021's Furioza brings us back into the dark and unsettling Polish underworld, as a young scumbag gets stuck under the thumb of the police and has to infiltrate a notorious prison as an informant.
—PC Magazine, 10 Oct. 2025
Since then, he's played killers, cops, aliens, scumbags, and mean dads in films like Cop Land (1997), The Faculty (1998), and Walk the Line (2005), as well as series such as The X-Files (2000–2002), 1923 (2022–2025), and Peacemaker (2022–present).
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Sep. 2025
Once the province of bikers and sailors and scumbags, tattoos now appear on nearly one-third of all Americans.
—John Semley, The Atlantic, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scumbag
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scumbag
Noun
-
Search the internet and there are coaches and players spotted sniffing the ammonia inhalants before a game, with their instant reactions — a noticeable head jerk or contorted face — going viral.—
Jason Jones,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
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Hethington didn’t want to cannibalize his menu with the dish, instead compromising with a jerk lamb shank, and a whole Chinese Trini chicken, an homage to the popular takeout food in Trinidad.—
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
Noun
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In the end, Bill Skarsgård returned as the horrifying clown Pennywise, which was always the plan from the start.—
Emily Longeretta,
Variety,
11 May 2026
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Even a rival gave kudos — kind of — to the clown.—
Anna Lazarus Caplan,
PEOPLE,
8 May 2026
Noun
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Police also said a man walking his dog was shot in the back Sunday morning.—
Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
18 May 2026
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Any attempt by a participant, or any other person, to participate using more than one dog/pet, using any method, may result in disqualification by Sponsor, in its sole discretion.—
Tim McGovern,
PEOPLE,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scumbag.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scumbag. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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