as in villain
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person
upon entering the store, I was beset by a caitiff in the guise of a salesman set on separating me from my money
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for caitiff
Noun
-
The movie does attempt to gesture at class and race as thematic underpinnings (the maids trapped in The Virgil are mostly non-white, while the villains are rich Caucasians), but like the story and action at large, these go pretty much nowhere, and feel like obligatory symbols.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
18 Mar. 2026 -
Each ship name in the class has fed into a theme on board, with Wish tied to enchantment, Treasure to adventure and Destiny to heroes and villains.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The psychology that Bryk wrote for these young men is the key as to why these brutes are more lovable than unbearable.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Bay Hill was a brute before the round was halted for just over an hour because of heavy rain.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Just as all British became painted as corrupt as part of their national character, so too did all Native people become seen as savage by their biological nature.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Reaction from Illinois politicians was swift, and savage.—
Sara Tenenbaum,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Rather than lean on typical monster movies and slasher horror that can always make bank in the movie theater, the biggest horror properties on TV are all across the map.—
Brian Welk,
IndieWire,
13 Mar. 2026
-
The Knicks, shorthanded without Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart, didn’t let them — and a monster performance from Mitchell Robinson helped punch a 101-92 victory over the worst team in basketball on Friday night.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The elegant sets and lavish costume designs are stunning, as is Jacob Elordi's multi-faceted performance as the intelligent wretch stitched together from corpses.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
27 Dec. 2025
-
Her expressions, her movements, her delivery — all of it makes Carol more complex than just a miserable wretch.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
3 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Other propaganda compared Native people to buffalo, cats, dogs, and devils.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Also called devil's snare, the plant's seeds, roots, stems, and leaves are all dangerous if ingested.—
Melissa Locker,
Southern Living,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Last year, the county sued NaphCare for its alleged role in the death of Brandon Yates, who was murdered in the Central Jail in 2024 after being wrongly placed into a cell with a violent offender.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Police said an offender is in custody and a weapon was recovered.—
Madeline King,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
That way, even if your data circulates, criminals have a harder time breaking in.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
14 Mar. 2026
-
By demanding justice and dignity for the drug-war dead, were nuns, priests, pastors, and other sympathizers not protecting criminals?—
Sheila Coronel,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Caitiff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/caitiff. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
