as in bastards
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 scumbags
Ninety-nine percent of politicians are scumbags.
—
Tony Dokoupil, CBS News, 16 Nov. 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
Tony Dokoupil, CBS News, 16 Nov. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scumbags
Noun
-
Smarmy jerks can get obscenely wealthy in this country just by managing other people’s money.—
Gilad Edelman,
The Atlantic,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Moreover, where most clients are great, some are jerks.—
Kathy Kristof,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In front of him, idolatrous Republican lawmakers popped up and down to applaud like clowns in wind-up music boxes of old.—
Jackie Calmes,
Mercury News,
27 Feb. 2026
-
An episodic framework, physical comedy, a small ensemble of actors who are all at home in their clowns and who will all, at some point, drop the mask to speak to us as themselves — for Ogawa, these are ways to bring effervescence and intimacy to the contemplation of insoluble, heavy things.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Streiber said the event gives their animals new experiences but is also excellent enrichment for dogs.—
Julia James,
Dallas Morning News,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Nearby, people and their dogs who had moved into the shelter for the duration of the war lounged on air mattresses, scrolling through their phones.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scumbags.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scumbags. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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