as in villain
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person
a whoring, drunken scapegrace who was blackening the family's name
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Recent Examples of scapegrace
Her affect evokes old-timey words — scamp, scapegrace, minx.
—
New York Times, 22 July 2021
Suddenly, Juliana’s romantic ennui is interrupted by the reappearance, after an 11-year absence, of her scapegrace oldest brother.
—Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 12 Feb. 2020
The Middle Ages died dismally, and the scapegrace poet Francois Villon sang their requiem in the wineshops of the Cité.
—Bruce Dale, National Geographic, 17 Apr. 2019
Somehow, a theme-park ride combined with clever, madcap visuals and Johnny Depp’s scapegrace showboating added up to something fresh.
—A. O. Scott, New York Times, 25 May 2017
New York Times, 22 July 2021
Suddenly, Juliana’s romantic ennui is interrupted by the reappearance, after an 11-year absence, of her scapegrace oldest brother.
—Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 12 Feb. 2020
The Middle Ages died dismally, and the scapegrace poet Francois Villon sang their requiem in the wineshops of the Cité.
—Bruce Dale, National Geographic, 17 Apr. 2019
Somehow, a theme-park ride combined with clever, madcap visuals and Johnny Depp’s scapegrace showboating added up to something fresh.
—A. O. Scott, New York Times, 25 May 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scapegrace
Noun
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New threats emerge, including a ruthless new villain (Bill Skarsgård) and a blind assassin from Wick’s past, played by Donnie Yen in a standout performance.—
Emily Blackwood,
People.com,
6 June 2025
-
Nicholas Hoult plays the film’s villain, the megalomaniac super-genius Lex Luthor.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
5 June 2025
Noun
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Cops released surveillance photos of a trio of brutes wanted for punching, repeatedly stabbing and robbing a man on a Bronx train last month.—
Emma Seiwell,
New York Daily News,
7 June 2025
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Meanwhile, Conner was still battling his brute of a blue cat.—
Bob McNally,
Outdoor Life,
21 May 2025
Noun
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Often regarded by historians as a collection of savage tribes, the Scythians emerge as a pivotal force of the ancient world in this monumental history.—
The New Yorker,
The New Yorker,
30 Jan. 2023
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Nearly 32 years ago, Rodney King’s savage beating by police in Los Angeles prompted heartfelt calls for change.—
Aaron Morrison, Claudia Lauer and Adrian Sainz,
Anchorage Daily News,
29 Jan. 2023
Noun
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Seven people were kicked out of the courtroom by O’Hare for speaking out of turn and calling members of the court racists and devils.—
Rachel Royster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 June 2025
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Rich flavors of maple syrup, golden syrup, red cherries and devil’s chocolate cake in this 17% alcohol late harvest wine.—
Tom Mullen,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2025
Noun
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The message of Bring Her Back may be that grief is the real monster.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
30 May 2025
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But what’s interesting here is that Armstrong doesn’t write Venis as a one-dimensional monster.—
Andrew Wallenstein,
Variety,
28 May 2025
Noun
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Or even those Californians, such as many in San Francisco and Los Angeles, who are just fed up with the perception that California is soft on criminals.—
Anita Chabria,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2025
-
The Forgotten Gender Nonconformists of the Old West Livia Gershon April 27, 2018 In the Old West, cross-dressing was sometimes a disguise for criminals on the lam.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
30 May 2025
Noun
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Since then, he’s been a haunted wretch of a character: stoned, sullen, stuck with recurring visions of shooting his wife and himself.—
Sophie Gilbert,
The Atlantic,
8 Apr. 2025
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The unfortunate wretch makes an exciting escape, killing her captor in the process.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
18 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Like a Dickensian Andy Capp, Johnson is an uber-charming rogue, an everyman bluesy belter whose winking humor with a hint of the scoundrel are not entirely unlike Scott’s demeanor, though each man’s vocals, inflection and stage presence are/were clearly their own.—
Katherine Turman,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2025
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In the first, Trump treated a moral hero as an ungrateful scoundrel.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
27 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scapegrace.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scapegrace. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.
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