variants
or scallywag
as in brute
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person
a scalawag who had taken to begging on street corners while posing as a blind person
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scalawag
Ticketed experiences include a cannon battle aboard a tall ship, tours of the tall ships in port, a mermaid meet-and-greet and swim show, pirate school for scallywags and more.
—
Marla Jo Fisher, Oc Register, 8 Sep. 2025
Among the most memorable was the Oyster Wars, a series of clashes dating back to the 1830s with scalawags descending from all over, looking to cash in on the valuable bivalves.
—Baltimore Sun Editorial Board, Baltimore Sun, 2 July 2024
The large cast, costumed and made up as a fitly scalawags and sinister buccaneers, gives tremendous energy to every scene.
—Kirk Honeycutt, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 July 2023
Chadha-Patel is ambiguously charming as a scalawag not entirely out for himself.
—cleveland, 1 Dec. 2022
Marla Jo Fisher, Oc Register, 8 Sep. 2025
Among the most memorable was the Oyster Wars, a series of clashes dating back to the 1830s with scalawags descending from all over, looking to cash in on the valuable bivalves.
—Baltimore Sun Editorial Board, Baltimore Sun, 2 July 2024
The large cast, costumed and made up as a fitly scalawags and sinister buccaneers, gives tremendous energy to every scene.
—Kirk Honeycutt, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 July 2023
Chadha-Patel is ambiguously charming as a scalawag not entirely out for himself.
—cleveland, 1 Dec. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scalawag
Noun
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Mihály is a brute who mistreats his mother.—
Adam Solomons,
IndieWire,
28 Aug. 2025
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Some are slow and heavy brutes that have tons of health while others are slightly but deal more damage.—
Gieson Cacho,
Mercury News,
18 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Because the traits that make someone a hero in a story can easily lend themselves to being painted as a villain, too.—
Harmeet Kaur,
CNN Money,
13 Sep. 2025
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Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin play estranged old friends who reconnect at the funeral of a mutual friend, only to realize that their friend's dead husband was really the villain in all their lives.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Texas is gearing up for war as a savage, flesh-eating fly appears poised for a US invasion and is expanding its range of victims.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
8 Aug. 2025
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Often regarded by historians as a collection of savage tribes, the Scythians emerge as a pivotal force of the ancient world in this monumental history.—
The New Yorker,
The New Yorker,
30 Jan. 2023
Noun
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Yet, bizarrely, the TV show undercuts this angle by inventing a serial killer nurse from whole cloth, a move that shifts the blame away from systemic forces and toward a motiveless scoundrel.—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Sep. 2025
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The movie, with Baranov as its scoundrel tour guide, works its way through some of 21st century Russia’s greatest hits of deception.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
31 Aug. 2025
Noun
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This mid-movie handoff dilutes the shock of how articulate the wretch proves in del Toro’s telling (the creature could barely speak in James Whale’s original Universal monster movie).—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
30 Aug. 2025
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Since then, he’s been a haunted wretch of a character: stoned, sullen, stuck with recurring visions of shooting his wife and himself.—
Sophie Gilbert,
The Atlantic,
8 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The advisory, issued on August 20 by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), urged agencies to scan chargers, roadside weather stations, and traffic cameras for rogue radios or other components embedded in inverters and batteries.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Sep. 2025
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That included everything from a sniper-like rogue to a warlock who serves Death itself.—
Rob Wieland,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The former child actors have grown up since their go-kart derby days on-screen — some have even welcomed their own little rascals off-screen.—
Keith Langston,
People.com,
5 Aug. 2025
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Something tells me those wary rascals spotted us and gave us the slip.—
Percy Brown,
Outdoor Life,
12 June 2025
Noun
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How does history distinguish knaves from legendary figures?—
W.E. Gutman,
Sun Sentinel,
8 July 2025
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Human beings are motivated by virtue (knights) or rigid self-interest (knaves), or are passive victims of their circumstances (pawns).—
Sachin H. Jain,
Forbes,
20 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Scalawag.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scalawag. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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