miscreant

1 of 2

adjective

mis·​cre·​ant ˈmis-krē-ənt 

1

archaic : unbelieving, heretical

2

: depraved, villainous

miscreant behavior

miscreant gangs

miscreant

2 of 2

noun

1

: infidel, heretic

2

: one who behaves criminally or viciously

supports tough penalties against corporate miscreants

Synonyms of miscreant

Noun

• villain
• brute
• offender
• criminal
• monster
• savage
• devil

Examples of miscreant in a Sentence

Noun

He supports tough penalties against corporate miscreants.

halt, vile miscreant, and face justice!

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Once inside, however, the miscreant sister communicates (via walkie-talkie) in a squeal of wordless agony. —Dennis Harvey, Variety, 14 Mar. 2026

Voters need to hold the mayor and council accountable for their miscreant spending, not give them more of our limited funds. —U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 May 2025

Noun

Yup, those $70,000-a-year-plus-benefits folks the city of San Diego has hired to creep around in the early-morning hours before the garbage trucks come and look for miscreants who have put plastic bags in the blue recycling bins or greenery in the black-now-gray trash bins. —Inga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Mar. 2026

Little wonder that fascists and other miscreants feel welcome. —Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 23 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun

Middle English miscreaunt, from Anglo-French mescreant, present participle of mescreire to disbelieve, from mes- + creire to believe, from Latin credere — more at creed

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

miscreant

noun

mis·​cre·​ant

ˈmis-krē-ənt

: villain sense 2, scoundrel

miscreant adjective