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

The frenetic antics of Illumination‘s mascot army of yellow miscreants have always been indebted to vintage slapstick. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 22 June 2026

Elswyth can shoot ivy vines from her hands, wrapping the vines around miscreants to incapacitate them. — Chris Hewitt, Boston Herald, 15 May 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