1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

scapegrace

noun

ˈskāp-ˌgrās How to pronounce scapegrace (audio)
Definition of scapegracenext
as in villain
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person a whoring, drunken scapegrace who was blackening the family's name

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 scapegrace 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
  1. villain
  2. brute
  3. savage
  4. monster
  5. criminal
  6. devil
  7. wretch
  8. scoundrel
Noun
  • It must be asked how Macklemore turned the narrative and turned a Jewish philanthropist — who pledged $2 million to Gaza humanitarian aid — into the villain of the story?
    — Kenneth L. Marcus, New York Daily News, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The way it’s framed, both the heroes and the villains can only come from the tech community.
    — Rumman Chowdhury, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of villain
Noun
  • Most sportsmen wonder how any whitetail bucks, let alone a brute such as Kontras’, could have been so easily patterned.
    — Jeff Murray, Outdoor Life, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The show’s depiction of Hugh as a family man has been much more sympathetic than the book’s description of him as a power-hungry brute.
    — James Grebey, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of brute
Noun
  • The Danish director’s Pusher trilogy (which was restored and rereleased last year) had been handheld, hyperrealistic, and savage; Drive, on the other hand, was ethereal and moody, its characters submerged, their delivery precise.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
  • One of the best Saturday morning traditions during college football season is not only watching ESPN's best program on the network, College Gameday, but seeing the hilarious, savage, and unique signs fans put together each week.
    — Jon Root OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of savage
Noun
  • They’re rooted in a time and place that feels all too real, and this allows the monsters to parade their primitive might in a way that means something.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 27 Sep. 2026
  • At this point in TV history, audiences had grown jaded by the monster-of-the-week style that every show used and abused, wanting more depth to their programming.
    — Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of monster
Noun
  • Victims who clicked those ads were redirected to fake banking websites controlled by the criminals, according to the DOJ.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Trump, his family and his wealthy cronies are criminals spending taxpayers’ money and taking it with their underhanded deals with our enemies.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of criminal
Noun
  • Dostoyevsky’s sniveling devil comes closest to portraying the man chiefly responsible for organizing the Final Solution.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
  • In January, Watts was a guest on actor Rainn Wilson’s podcast, where Watts played devil’s advocate to Wilson’s skeptic about casual use of mind-altering substances.
    — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of devil
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
Noun
  • Meanwhile, Frank Dillane plays Willoughby, Marianne’s love interest, with such commitment that the actor was surprised to learn his character is universally acknowledged to be a scoundrel.
    — Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Definition of scoundrel

Browse Nearby Words

scapegoats
scapegrace
scapegraces
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“Scapegrace.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scapegrace. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of fungible

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All