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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for caitiff
Noun
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Neville includes a clip from a London play about The Beatles that bore the unwieldy title John, Paul, George, Ringo…and Bert, featured some very bad wigs and makeup and, in keeping with the official story, cast McCartney as the villain.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Feb. 2026 -
Hollywood did end up telling that story, with Ben Foster portraying the actor as a villain in the 2015 movie The Program, which Armstrong was not a part of.—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
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For much of his career, Skarsgård has gravitated toward characters who weaponize physical presence — Vikings, tech titans and mythic brutes whose power is immediately legible.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
9 Jan. 2026
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As usual, Lang plays the brute’s Heart of Darkness–esque descent into madness with gleeful relish.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
19 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Or Irish, in a time when they were seen as savages by the Englishmen?—
Arushi Jacob,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
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The Urus, a snarling, spitting savage dressed up in an orange tuxedo, will cause a commotion at the supermarket, gym and park.—
Josh Max,
Forbes.com,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
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New Yorkers only just freed from the snow and ice left by January’s monster storm will once again face winter’s wrath.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
21 Feb. 2026
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If a monster is there, and the monster is those who escape justice or being held to account.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
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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
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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
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Think of devil’s food in Bundt form!—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
15 Feb. 2026
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To play devil’s advocate, Rodriguez has exhausted a lot of patience (there’s a funny quote in Felipe Cardenas’ analysis about his physical stats).—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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According to multiple people briefed on the discussions, the committee could propose to remove the carryover suspension part of the punishment for first-time offenders on second-half targeting penalties, leaving in place a 15-yard penalty and ejection.—
Chris Vannini,
New York Times,
22 Feb. 2026
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What emerged, Jackson told the court Thursday, was the portrait of a transient and calculating offender who operated across multiple states and evaded law enforcement for years.—
Austin Sanders,
Austin American Statesman,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Thanks to the One Big Beautiful Bill, ICE has new funding to expand detention space to keep these criminals off American streets before they are removed for good from our communities.—
Jeff Capellini,
CBS News,
20 Feb. 2026
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His office is more concerned about arresting police officers than prosecuting criminals.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
20 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Caitiff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/caitiff. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.
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