as in bastards
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 scumbags
Soul Quest Overdrive takes a page out of Aqua Teen Hunger Force’s book and follows four anthropomorphic pieces of sports gear that are absolute scumbags.
—
Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2026
Ninety-nine percent of politicians are scumbags.
—Tony Dokoupil, CBS News, 16 Nov. 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
Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2026
Ninety-nine percent of politicians are scumbags.
—Tony Dokoupil, CBS News, 16 Nov. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scumbags
Noun
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In the new sequel, Grace teams with her estranged younger sister, Faith (Kathryn Newton), as they’re hunted by four elite families full of murderous jerks scrambling to become the High Seat of a Council that controls the world.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
21 Mar. 2026
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Smarmy jerks can get obscenely wealthy in this country just by managing other people’s money.—
Gilad Edelman,
The Atlantic,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Performances and stunts are delivered by international acrobats and clowns during music and light shows.—
Abby Hamblin,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Mar. 2026
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How did clowns become a protest symbol?—
Janet W. Lee,
NPR,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Those who use the path with their dogs are encouraged to contact a veterinarian if a foxtail barb is found.—
Ashley Mackin Solomon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
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Given their disparate geographical locations, this suggested that dogs were already widespread across western Eurasia between 18,500 and 14,000 years ago, according to the study.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scumbags.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scumbags. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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