scalawag

scal·a·wag | \ ˈska-li-ˌwag

How to pronounce scalawag (audio)

\

variants: or scallywag

Definition of scalawag

1 : scamp, reprobate

2 : a white Southerner acting in support of the reconstruction governments after the American Civil War often for private gain

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Examples of scalawag in a Sentence

a scalawag who had taken to begging on street corners while posing as a blind person

Recent Examples on the Web Louisville’s Brown-Forman is accusing rum-peddling partner Bacardi of being a scalawag. — Alfred Miller, The Courier-Journal, "Brown-Forman says Bacardi stiffing the Jack Daniel's owner out of more than $60 million," 1 July 2020 The Old West has been larger than life ever since the first dime novelists made legends out of lawmen, outlaws, and assorted frontier scalawags. — Patricia Harris, BostonGlobe.com, "Thundering out of an iconic American past: The Buffalo Roundup in South Dakota’s Custer State Park," 20 Aug. 2019 Mark Twain's Mississippi, alive with steamboats, scalawags, and gamblers, has a hold on us still. — CBS News, "A trip down the mighty Mississippi," 7 July 2019 Salvatore Lodi made his debut as Little Mouse, while Kellan Hayag was a floppy-haired, scampering scalawag Fritz. — Laura Bleiberg, latimes.com, "ABT's 'Nutcracker,' a new classic worth watching over and over (and over)," 11 Dec. 2017 Back on their own ship, the scalawags must decide how to divvy up the booty. — Jay Bennett, Popular Mechanics, "Riddle of the Week #17: The Pirates and Their Booty," 23 Feb. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'scalawag.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Scalawag.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scalawag. Accessed 27 Sep. 2020.

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