1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

blackguard 1 of 2

noun

Definition of blackguardnext
as in scoundrel

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

blackguard

2 of 2

verb

as in to insult

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of blackguard
Noun
Edgar finds work in the hamlet of Dreng’s Ferry with Dreng himself, an all-around blackguard, but eventually Edgar’s intelligence and capability propel him into the building trade. — Washington Post, 17 Nov. 2020 Despite all the worry about Fukushima, smokers have been inhaling radioactive particles for decadesNicotine - murder weapon of choice for the 19th century blackguard, by Deborah Blum. — Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 26 May 2012
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blackguard
  1. scoundrel
  2. insult
  3. knave
  4. libel
  5. villain
  6. slur
  7. reprobate
  8. affront
Noun
  • But as with any good Leonard story, the best moments come from the characters, a rogues’ gallery of violent ruffians and neurotic, duplicitous scoundrels.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Hawks is the grounding force of Zero Company, the down-to-Earth scoundrel that keeps everyone humble.
    — Hayes Madsen, Space.com, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of scoundrel
Verb
  • Trump has also lashed out at individual reporters in person or over social media, sometimes in strikingly personal terms -- insulting them in briefings, or in his recent speech at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Sep. 2026
  • The film internalizes potential objections about a foreign director making a film that claims insight into Japanese characters’ interiority, with Carter being ritualistically insulted as a gaijin, or outsider.
    — Vadim Rizov, Variety, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of insult
Noun
  • The knights who always told the truth and the knaves who always lied.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Try for yourselves, ye witless knaves— Take each to bed your Sally!
    — Ann Manov, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026
Definition of knave
Verb
  • In 2022, Manhattan Federal Judge Jed Rakoff, who presided over both trials, decided The Times was not liable for defamation while jurors were deliberating, that the error amounted to unfortunate editorializing but not libel.
    — Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2025
  • As a new, inexpensive Chevrolet appeared in 1927 and The Dearborn Independent was sued for libeling a number of Jewish businessmen, Ford threw in the towel and apologized.
    — George Pendle, airmail.news, 15 Mar. 2025
Definition of libel
Noun
  • Her bulging eyes, her piercing shrieks, her casual yet immaculately articulate cruelty all come together to form a cartoonish villain who’s also a commanding delight.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The implicit villain in that critique was Senator Joe Manchin, the West Virginia Democrat who refused to go along with changing the Senate rules, dooming many of Biden’s legislative ambitions.
    — Isaac Arnsdorf, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of villain
Verb
  • The driver, a 59-year-old man from Sterling Heights, had slurred speech and an odor of alcohol, according to police.
    — DeJanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 19 June 2026
  • The Honda driver and his passenger told deputies the driver of the Toyota, identified as Walsh, was apparently intoxicated and had slurred speech.
    — Angie DiMichele, Sun Sentinel, 10 June 2026
Definition of slur
Noun
  • Unlike Vegas with its cast of reprobates and wackos, this joint is classy and clean and just a wee bit indulgent.
    — David Weiss, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
  • They’re typically retired, sitting on pensions and 401(k)s, and may be naive to the techniques favored by con artists and reprobates who run riot on the internet.
    — Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 9 Sep. 2025
Definition of reprobate
Verb
  • Iraq similarly felt scandalized that its sovereignty had been so blatantly affronted and disregarded.
    — Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • But the pop culture of twelve years ago is baffling, uncanny, affronting.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Mar. 2026
Definition of affront

Browse Nearby Words

black flags
blackguard
blackguarded
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Blackguard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackguard. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All