SCALAWAGS Synonyms: 78 Similar and Opposite Words

scalawags

noun

variants or scallywags

plural of scalawag

as in villains

a mean, evil, or unprincipled person a scalawag who had taken to begging on street corners while posing as a blind person

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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 scalawags 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 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for scalawags

Noun

The New Zealander drew international acclaim for roles as gruff loners and unhinged villains.

— Harrison Smith, Washington Post, 13 July 2026
Neill played dashing heroes, sinister villains (see The Piano), authority figures, famous figures, and father figures.

— David Fear, Rolling Stone, 13 July 2026

Definition of villains

Noun

These brutes commonly exceed 50 pounds.

— Keith Sutton, Outdoor Life, 18 June 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

Definition of brutes

Noun

Supporters will argue that criminals should not be able to hide behind wallets.

— Susie Violet Ward, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
And just like Alito, some members of my family have forgotten our history and support Trump or favor some of his immigration policies, dismissing new arrivals as criminals or lazy.

— Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026

Definition of criminals

Noun

The 152 rooms celebrate Tasmania’s cultural and creative spirit, from the contemporary paintings of thylacines and Tasmanian devils, to the Blackheart sassafras ceiling inlays.

— Riley Wilson, Travel + Leisure, 19 June 2026
But there are lots of potential devils in the details (otherwise there’d be little need for experimental reactors).

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 9 June 2026

Definition of devils

Noun

For traffickers and offenders who rely on quick escapes along our state’s busy roadways, LPRs strip away their advantage.

— Charles "Chuck" Broadway, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 July 2026
The work paid off with stacks of citations across the Sacramento area, officials said, and steep costs for offenders — including a fine of $100,000 or more for one Del Paso Heights home’s pyrotechnic display.

— Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 8 July 2026

Definition of offenders

Noun

With its vivid monsters and an emphatic, complex dive into the human heart, Homer has inspired countless adaptations, from stage, screen, television, comics, alongside a continuous stream of new translations.

— Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 14 July 2026
At their Czech–Indian wedding, Jacob and Mia’s tradition-hungry guests unexpectedly begin transforming into flesh-eating monsters.

— John Hopewell, Variety, 14 July 2026

Definition of monsters

Noun

And the surviving cartel scoundrels take the parting shot by kidnapping beloved Carter, putting a hood on him and taking the boy off.

— Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 3 July 2026
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

Definition of scoundrels

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“Scalawags.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scalawags. Accessed 15 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of scalawags

noun

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