LOW-LIFE Synonyms: 153 Similar and Opposite Words

low-life 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of low-life

as in low

belonging to the class of people of low social or economic rank photographs of the low-life residents of postwar Paris

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

lowlife

2 of 2

noun

as in scoundrel

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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 low-life

Adjective

The president can be assured that his low-life actions will eliminate him as a candidate to get to Heaven. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 25 Mar. 2026 Inside, everything was magically transformed into a 1930s Parisian low-life dive. — Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 23 Mar. 2026

Noun

Or, plant a gun on a lowlife who deserved it and the world's a better place. — Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 15 May 2026 Their search leads them to a local drug lord and a galaxy of lowlifes, all of whom are hiding something. — Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for low-life

Recent Examples of Synonyms for low-life

Adjective

Officials touted the lowest official poverty rates on record for children and for Hispanic Americans, at about 13% of both groups.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2026
Rooms on lower floors have at least partial views of the city.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of low

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

Adjective

But new research is shedding light on what life was like for middle- and lower-class residents.

— Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
The franchise centers around a dystopian nation called Panem, where rich and authoritarian leaders force twelve lower-class districts to submit two children to fight in a deadly, and televised, battle every year.

— Nicholas Rice, PEOPLE, 11 July 2026

Definition of lower-class

Noun

The first time, Julian’s children (James Corden, Jessica Gunning) seemed like miserable, greedy wretches.

— Brent Lang, Variety, 11 Apr. 2026
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

Definition of wretch

Adjective

Linen and cotton, cooling garments, were too plebeian; the people posed nobly for street-style social-media accounts in leather jackets and low-slung jorts.

— Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 27 June 2026
This one is about a regular old guy, a hedge knight in the plebeian population of Westeros, just trying to get by in a world that isn't kind to the common and poor.

— Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 13 Jan. 2026

Definition of plebeian

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

Adjective

But West Virginia is a proletarian locale that until not long ago was a Democratic stronghold.

— Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026
These ranged from the aristocratic elite who dominated the military and bureaucracy and yearned for a return to monarchy, to communists who sought proletarian rule, to the National Socialists who wanted to establish a right-wing dictatorship.

— Time, Time, 23 Oct. 2025

Definition of proletarian

Noun

Even though the Feeneys have gotten more competitive under the junior Michel’s management, the rascal-on-the-field ethos of the original team still prevails.

— Christopher Buchanan, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2026
Not even the curmudgeonly Melvin can bring himself to harm the little rascal.

— Camille Perri, PEOPLE, 10 June 2026

Definition of rascal

Browse Nearby Words

low-level

low-life

lowlife

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“Low-life.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/low-life. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of low-life

adjective

noun

Example Sentences

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