1
as in villains
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person
halt, vile miscreant, and face justice!
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in criminals
a person who has committed a crime
a youthful offender surrounded in prison by hard-bitten miscreants who had committed just about every crime imaginable
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of miscreants
The cameras safeguard lawful policing and expose miscreants masquerading as officers.
—
Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 1 May 2026
If anything, Congress has not been tough enough with miscreants over the years.
—Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2026
The first of these—a cult favorite among writers, particularly youngish women writers—put Lemann on the map as a singular stylist, capable of crystalline insights into the miscreants and oddballs of the American South and great bursts of unrestrained sentiment.
—Brandy Jensen, New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2026
Yup, those $70,000-a-year-plus-benefits folks the city of San Diego has hired to creep around in the early-morning hours before the garbage trucks come and look for miscreants who have put plastic bags in the blue recycling bins or greenery in the black-now-gray trash bins.
—Inga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Mar. 2026
Little wonder that fascists and other miscreants feel welcome.
—Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 23 Feb. 2026
Regardless of the bias in whatever racial or political agenda may be behind this nightmarish remake of Eugene O’Neil’s dark drama of societal miscreants, The Iceman Cometh, the ICE men are making sure their own approval rating melts, while doing damage to both commerce and community safety.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 21 Jan. 2026
And, of course, Steven Knight’s Peaky Blinders, whose Shelby family of murderers and miscreants amassed such a cult following over six seasons that the series is getting its own movie in March.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026
The entire French state has been put into gear to track down the miscreants.
—Lionel Laurent, Twin Cities, 24 Oct. 2025
Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 1 May 2026
If anything, Congress has not been tough enough with miscreants over the years.
—Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2026
The first of these—a cult favorite among writers, particularly youngish women writers—put Lemann on the map as a singular stylist, capable of crystalline insights into the miscreants and oddballs of the American South and great bursts of unrestrained sentiment.
—Brandy Jensen, New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2026
Yup, those $70,000-a-year-plus-benefits folks the city of San Diego has hired to creep around in the early-morning hours before the garbage trucks come and look for miscreants who have put plastic bags in the blue recycling bins or greenery in the black-now-gray trash bins.
—Inga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Mar. 2026
Little wonder that fascists and other miscreants feel welcome.
—Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 23 Feb. 2026
Regardless of the bias in whatever racial or political agenda may be behind this nightmarish remake of Eugene O’Neil’s dark drama of societal miscreants, The Iceman Cometh, the ICE men are making sure their own approval rating melts, while doing damage to both commerce and community safety.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 21 Jan. 2026
And, of course, Steven Knight’s Peaky Blinders, whose Shelby family of murderers and miscreants amassed such a cult following over six seasons that the series is getting its own movie in March.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026
The entire French state has been put into gear to track down the miscreants.
—Lionel Laurent, Twin Cities, 24 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for miscreants
Noun
-
The ones to watch out for are the ones who should be villains that aren’t.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
4 May 2026
-
The iconic heroes and villains will join familiar faces already found throughout the outpost, including Ahsoka Tano, the Mandalorian, Grogu, R2-D2, Rey and more.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
However, Connecticut Citizens Defense League President Holly Sullivan told Fox News Digital that statewide Democrats chose to go after law-abiding citizens instead of criminals by passing this piece of legislation.—
Adam Sabes,
FOXNews.com,
9 May 2026
-
Immigration policy is destroying the lives of families, not criminals.—
Kinsey Crowley,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
Noun
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That’s happened in several Mid Atlantic rivers, but in the absence of larger brutes like blues and flathead, channels will thrive and can break the 15-pound mark.—
Joe Cermele,
Outdoor Life,
9 Apr. 2026
-
In Raspail’s tale, hordes of impoverished and dark-skinned brutes from India descend onto French shores by way of rafts, the first wave of an invasion of the civilized West by the brown-skinned developing world.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Tens of thousands of offenders are released each year while their cases proceed in the court system, and hundreds are placed in the court’s GPS program (the sheriff’s electronic monitoring program is not accepting new participants).—
Silvana Tabares,
Chicago Tribune,
4 May 2026
-
However, the balance of these facilities could be correctional facilities for the worst offenders of the public trust with respect to fraud and corruption.—
Kaitlyn Schallhorn,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
This notion was based on outdated presumptions of hillforts as being occupied by violent, prehistoric savages.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Or Irish, in a time when they were seen as savages by the Englishmen?—
Arushi Jacob,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Policy favored the monsters who plot in the background, more Kissinger than Kennedy.—
Eli Durst,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
The titular monsters in this anthology series tend to do well at the Emmys (Evan Peters as Jeffrey Dahmer and Cooper Koch as Erik Menendez were both nominated).—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
Ash devils can hurl hot embers in all directions and spark new fires, but this one harmlessly dissipated without spreading the blaze further.—
Blanca Begert,
Los Angeles Times,
3 May 2026
-
Other propaganda compared Native people to buffalo, cats, dogs, and devils.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Miscreants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/miscreants. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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