scurrilous

adjective

scur·​ri·​lous ˈskər-ə-ləs How to pronounce scurrilous (audio)
ˈskə-rə-
1
a
: using or given to coarse language
b
: vulgar and evil
scurrilous imposters who used a religious exterior to rob poor peopleEdwin Benson
2
: containing obscenities, abuse, or slander
scurrilous accusations
scurrilously adverb
scurrilousness noun

Did you know?

Scurrilous (and its much rarer relation scurrile, which has the same meaning) comes from the Middle French word scurrile, which comes ultimately from the Latin noun scurra, meaning “buffoon” or “jester.” Fittingly, 18th-century lexicographer Samuel Johnson defined scurrilous as “using such language as only the licence of a buffoon could warrant.” Qualities traditionally associated with buffoonery—vulgarity, irreverence, and indecorousness—are qualities often invoked by the word scurrilous. Unlike the words of a jester, however, “scurrilous” language of the present day more often intends to seriously harm or slander someone than to produce a few laughs.

Examples of scurrilous in a Sentence

scurrilous attacks on the senator a scurrilous satire on the scandal that enveloped Washington
Recent Examples on the Web As the scurrilous allegations multiplied, reputation-conscious banks cut off his company, Lord Energy. David D. Kirkpatrick, The New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2024 The immigration debate often is infused with scurrilous claims and misinformation. Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Jan. 2024 But the six-part series goes deeper, delving beneath the sensational headlines to investigate how a scurrilous rumor in the early 1990s nearly came to ruin a man’s life. K.j. Yossman, Variety, 20 Sep. 2023 His brushes with the law, and his drug use, morphed into scurrilous tabloid fodder, making his life, at least for a while, a living hell. Michael Granberry, Dallas News, 20 July 2023 While a liberal biologist is strongly influenced by their political outlook and will defend it forcefully, anthropologists seem trained to throw around scurrilous terms and associations as if that was the ultimate training of their profession. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 24 Oct. 2011 Partisans in particular - and the audiences for Murdoch's Fox News and talk radio - are particularly susceptible to such scurrilous disinformation. Chris Mooney, Discover Magazine, 15 Feb. 2011 Then again, the late 18th century, when the U.S. was founded, was a golden era of misinformation as well, with anonymous pamphlets and partisan newspapers peddling scurrilous tales about opposing politicians and parties. Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2023 Hudson seldom outright endorses and never outright debunks any of the visionaries in his book, even when his own characterizations of them seem to demand it, as with his description of the extravagant life style and scurrilous fund-raising tactics of televangelist Oral Roberts. Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 24 Dec. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scurrilous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1576, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of scurrilous was in 1576

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Dictionary Entries Near scurrilous

Cite this Entry

“Scurrilous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scurrilous. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

scurrilous

adjective
scur·​ri·​lous ˈskər-ə-ləs How to pronounce scurrilous (audio)
ˈskə-rə-
1
: vulgar and evil
scurrilous crooks
2
: containing indecent words or harsh abuse
scurrilous attacks on the senator
scurrilously
ˈskər-ə-ləs-lē
ˈskə-rə-
adverb

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