blackguard 1 of 2

Definition of blackguardnext

blackguard

2 of 2

verb

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 The endurance of nationalism proves that there’s never any shortage of blackguards willing to prop up people’s sense of themselves and their destiny with a tissue of myths and prophecies, prejudices and hatreds, or to empty out old rubbish bags full of festering resentments and calls to violence. Jill Lepore, Foreign Affairs, 5 Feb. 2019 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
Noun
  • Paxton, meanwhile, is known for being a scoundrel.
    Nicole Russell, USA Today, 28 May 2026
  • New Orleans has long been notorious for embracing such scoundrels, a reputation that isn’t exactly helped by the fact that, for many years, disgraced attorneys who lost their licenses in Louisiana and applied for readmission to the bar often got it.
    Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Stop insulting everyone’s intelligence with false hope.
    Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 2 June 2026
  • That might be stretching it, actually; at worst, Meg could be played as a nymphomaniac who refused to take no for an answer from an American who could never get drunk enough to kiss rather than insult her.
    Chris Willman, Variety, 27 May 2026
Noun
  • How does history distinguish knaves from legendary figures?
    W.E. Gutman, Sun Sentinel, 8 July 2025
  • Human beings are motivated by virtue (knights) or rigid self-interest (knaves), or are passive victims of their circumstances (pawns).
    Sachin H. Jain, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
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
Noun
  • The iconic villain, portrayed by Robert Mitchum in 1962’s Cape Fear and by Robert De Niro in Martin Scorsese’s 1991 version, is back on screen in the new Apple TV adaptation.
    Kirsten Chuba, HollywoodReporter, 3 June 2026
  • Dead-end conflict is where the hero and the villain, the good guys and the bad guys, essentially never have any opportunity for movement or reconciliation at the end of the story.
    Dana Taylor, USA Today, 3 June 2026
Verb
  • Paramedics observed Barbour was slurring his speech and had unsteady balance, and his blood-alcohol content was determined at the hospital to be 0.096%, according to prosecutors.
    Evy Lewis, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
  • Hickerson showed signs of impairment and had slurred speech.
    Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • That rogues’ gallery includes such reprobates as Maura Healey, the fake Indian, Ed Markey, Seth Moulton, crackpot leftist Juliette Kayyem… Percentage of contribution Summers made to Democrats: 100 percent.
    Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 22 Nov. 2025
  • 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
Noun
  • Meanwhile, the audience will learn more about cad-ish hearthrob Rupert Campbell-Black’s (Alex Hassell) backstory, with the entrance of two starry new characters, his ex-wife Helen, played by Hayley Atwell, and her new husband Malise, played by Rupert Everett.
    Max Goldbart, Deadline, 13 May 2026
  • Ever the cad, Bednar still wouldn’t commit to saying Wedgewood when asked if 41 would be his starter for Game 2 on Tuesday night.
    Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 20 Apr. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Blackguard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackguard. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster