as in bastard
a person whose behavior is offensive to others
don't romanticize that con artist, as she's nothing more than a scumbag who cheats the most vulnerable
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Recent Examples of scumbag
Josh Safdie cannot resist an unrepentant scumbag protagonist.
—
Joe Reid, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
Since then, he's played killers, cops, aliens, scumbags, and mean dads in films like Cop Land (1997), The Faculty (1998), and Walk the Line (2005), as well as series such as The X-Files (2000–2002), 1923 (2022–2025), and Peacemaker (2022–present).
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Sep. 2025
Once the province of bikers and sailors and scumbags, tattoos now appear on nearly one-third of all Americans.
—John Semley, The Atlantic, 22 Sep. 2025
There are two types of scumbag in the cybercrime world: those who pick on vulnerable individuals to perpetrate their fraud, and those who target healthcare in search of illicit financial gains.
—Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scumbag
Joe Reid, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
Since then, he's played killers, cops, aliens, scumbags, and mean dads in films like Cop Land (1997), The Faculty (1998), and Walk the Line (2005), as well as series such as The X-Files (2000–2002), 1923 (2022–2025), and Peacemaker (2022–present).
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Sep. 2025
Once the province of bikers and sailors and scumbags, tattoos now appear on nearly one-third of all Americans.
—John Semley, The Atlantic, 22 Sep. 2025
There are two types of scumbag in the cybercrime world: those who pick on vulnerable individuals to perpetrate their fraud, and those who target healthcare in search of illicit financial gains.
—Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scumbag
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scumbag
Noun
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Without comment, the president shared multiple news articles covering his previous remarks slamming Maher as a jerk.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
8 Mar. 2026
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The Lion’s Tail that tastes like if a Jamaican jerk chicken and a Whiskey Sour couldn’t keep their hands off each other.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Noem was the public face of that disapproval, strutting forward with arrogance in the face of public censure, a veritable clown show of ineptitude.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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How did clowns become a protest symbol?—
Janet W. Lee,
NPR,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Identifying Coyotes As part of the same genus as domestic dogs, coyotes may resemble a dog from a distance.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
9 Mar. 2026
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And also, dogs would be used to flush out deer hiding in bushes or in steep terrain, to expose them to waiting sharpshooters.—
Steve Scauzillo,
Daily News,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scumbag.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scumbag. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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