1
as in masses
people looked down upon as ignorant and of the lowest class
claimed that only scum lived in that part of town
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bastard
a person whose behavior is offensive to others
ignore the heckler—he's complete scum
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in dirty
arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust
the jury was disgusted by the scummy behavior of the defendant in the courtroom
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 scum
Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 28 Mar. 2025
Or find a glass tainted with soap scum, or worse, bits of food left on a plate?
—Kristi Kellogg, Architectural Digest, 15 Jan. 2025
To quickly eliminate soap scum, water splatters, and other glass messes, apply shaving cream all over the surface.
—Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 16 Mar. 2025
Soap Scum Another sign that could indicate the home has hard water is soap scum buildup inside water-using appliances and on surfaces, like the bathtub, shower walls, or sinks.
—Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scum
Noun
That scum can then be skimmed off the surface for disposal, although Velev does state that the chitosan could be reclaimed from the substance and used to create more microcleaners.
—Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 28 Mar. 2025
Or find a glass tainted with soap scum, or worse, bits of food left on a plate?
—Kristi Kellogg, Architectural Digest, 15 Jan. 2025
To quickly eliminate soap scum, water splatters, and other glass messes, apply shaving cream all over the surface.
—Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 16 Mar. 2025
Soap Scum Another sign that could indicate the home has hard water is soap scum buildup inside water-using appliances and on surfaces, like the bathtub, shower walls, or sinks.
—Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scum
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scum
Adjective
-
Tom Hardy stars in the neo-noir crime thriller as a corrupt detective named Walker, who shoots, punches, and drop-kicks his way through an entire criminal underworld to rescue the estranged son of dirty politician Lawrence Beaumont (Forest Whitaker).—
Mike Miller,
EW.com,
26 Apr. 2025
-
Rockets wing Dillon Brooks called Green a dirty player on Friday.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
25 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
There was little-to-no doubt Jurgen Klopp’s side were going to defeat Ralf Rangnick’s under-interim-management rabble that day.—
Carl Anka,
The Athletic,
4 Jan. 2025
-
Advertisement From start to finish, pure madness, amid a rabble that never calmed, never quieted, never quit.—
Bill Plaschke,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Oct. 2024
Noun
-
But this Ron Howard was an alternate universe version of Ron Howard, who instead of being notoriously nice, is sort of a jerk.—
Esther Zuckerman,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Apr. 2025
-
Someone actually just said to me that all the men in the book are jerks.—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
As holidays go, however, Flag Day can feel a bit lame.—
Kevin Fisher-Paulson,
San Francisco Chronicle,
8 June 2021
-
My 11-year-old loved watching the pups roll balls and play a giant floor piano, but for non-dog owners (guilty as charged), parts of the series—like dressing dogs in little hats and outfits for a Parisian fashion show—feel lame.—
Tim Neville,
Outside Online,
23 Nov. 2020
Noun
-
Historian William Dalrymple traces the current sectarian divisions to the reign of Emperor Aurangzeb, who shattered the empire’s religious pluralism by trying to impose orthodox Islam on the populace.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
24 Apr. 2025
-
But those environmentalists would have recognized, at least a little, the political climate: a corrupt Republican Administration and an energized populace willing to take to the streets.—
Bill McKibben,
New Yorker,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Clown Alert This post is a scaredy-cat guide designed mostly for viewers who suffer from flight anxiety, but some people are scared of clowns too.—
Anne Victoria Clark,
Vulture,
21 Apr. 2025
-
The teaser does feature a glimpse at Calypso, the man who hosts the tournament, as well as a signature laugh from Sweet Tooth the terrifying clown.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
With police turning a blind eye, Portland became a honeypot for local and out-of-state addicts to score cheap dope and use it freely.—
Jason Motlagh,
Rolling Stone,
27 Apr. 2025
-
China leads the global production of cheap goods made in large volume, such as dishes and cooking gadgets.—
Pablo Robles,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
There’s even been a rare dose of reality-style drama, as when contestant Shuai Wang accidentally tossed teammate Henry Lu’s entire mise en place setup in the trash — removing all the pickles from a dish in a pickle-centric challenge and sending Henry to the bottom.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
1 May 2025
-
Tens of thousands of dollars in artwork may have ended up in the trash during a town hall renovation in the Netherlands.—
Lillian Ali,
Smithsonian Magazine,
30 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scum. Accessed 9 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share