variants
or scallywag
as in villain
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person
a scalawag who had taken to begging on street corners while posing as a blind person
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scalawag
But what the New Yorker writer left behind is some of the finest prose of the 20th century, focusing primarily on the eccentrics, scalawags, seamen, and other denizens of New York’s dank corners.
—
Air Mail, 2 May 2026
And yet, after a series of further downward spirals that will dig this scalawag even deeper into a hole and some supernatural mumbo-jumbo, his luck curiously starts to change….
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2025
Ticketed experiences include a cannon battle aboard a tall ship, tours of the tall ships in port, a mermaid meet-and-greet and swim show, pirate school for scallywags and more.
—Marla Jo Fisher, Oc Register, 8 Sep. 2025
Among the most memorable was the Oyster Wars, a series of clashes dating back to the 1830s with scalawags descending from all over, looking to cash in on the valuable bivalves.
—Baltimore Sun Editorial Board, Baltimore Sun, 2 July 2024
The large cast, costumed and made up as a fitly scalawags and sinister buccaneers, gives tremendous energy to every scene.
—Kirk Honeycutt, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 July 2023
Chadha-Patel is ambiguously charming as a scalawag not entirely out for himself.
—cleveland, 1 Dec. 2022
Air Mail, 2 May 2026
And yet, after a series of further downward spirals that will dig this scalawag even deeper into a hole and some supernatural mumbo-jumbo, his luck curiously starts to change….
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2025
Ticketed experiences include a cannon battle aboard a tall ship, tours of the tall ships in port, a mermaid meet-and-greet and swim show, pirate school for scallywags and more.
—Marla Jo Fisher, Oc Register, 8 Sep. 2025
Among the most memorable was the Oyster Wars, a series of clashes dating back to the 1830s with scalawags descending from all over, looking to cash in on the valuable bivalves.
—Baltimore Sun Editorial Board, Baltimore Sun, 2 July 2024
The large cast, costumed and made up as a fitly scalawags and sinister buccaneers, gives tremendous energy to every scene.
—Kirk Honeycutt, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 July 2023
Chadha-Patel is ambiguously charming as a scalawag not entirely out for himself.
—cleveland, 1 Dec. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scalawag
Noun
-
Fisk, the villain, ultimately loses this battle.—
Tracy Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026
-
Who’s the villain on your show?—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
Oscillating between a bumbling brute and an ironic ignoramus, Marvel Studios sees the God of Thunder more like the God of Blunder, kicking out the knees of the steady 2011 film in favour of single-digit IQ humour.—
Sergio Pereira,
Space.com,
6 May 2026
-
This time the closing hole was a brute, the toughest at Harbour Town on Sunday.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Who’s the best monster in (contemporary) literature?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 May 2026
-
This midrange offering includes high-quality audio, advanced noise-cancelling tools, monster battery life, and is comfortable to wear for hours and hours.—
Mark Knapp,
PC Magazine,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Why did 12-year veteran Maden and 14-year veteran Algerio savage longstanding body camera policies?—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
1 May 2026
-
My first indication of danger came when a savage gust of wind hit us broad side.—
Jim Hoagland,
Outdoor Life,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
Sure, the Oscar-winning makeup helps transform the actor into Cheney, but the voice and petulance are all Bale, whose conjuring of this scoundrel ought to trigger PTSD for anyone who survived the Dubya years.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
This is the aforementioned devil’s chair.—
Jaclyn Cosgrove,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
-
And, yes, there is a literal devil in this one, which won’t be a surprise to anyone familiar with LaValle’s novel.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scalawag.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scalawag. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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