varmints

noun

plural of varmint
as in bastards
a person whose behavior is offensive to others a seedy saloon that attracts the most low-down, dirty varmints in town

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 varmints With the right rifle, a 25 Creedmoor shooter has the ultimate combo rig for deer, varmints, and long-range target shooting. — John B. Snow, Outdoor Life, 24 Sep. 2026 Moreover, the official mascots succeed in spotting various varmints — foxes and possums, to be specific, but thankfully, no vultures. — Ed Silverman, STAT, 16 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for varmints
  1. dogs
  2. skunks
  3. jerks
  4. clowns
  5. vermin
  6. snakes
  7. rats
Noun
  • But using dogs to investigate crimes wasn’t widely adopted until the mid ‘80s, Gould said.
    — Natasha Holt, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The study found that larger dogs lose 35% more LINE1 methylation than smaller dogs.
    — Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of dogs
Noun
  • Officials say the last animal confirmed to have rabies that wasn’t a bat was a skunk infected with the bat strain of rabies in Long Beach in 2014.
    — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026
  • And coyotes regulate populations of mesocarnivores like skunks and raccoons, helping support the survival of ground-nesting birds.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of skunks
Noun
  • Lee and his Burning co-writer Oh Jung-mi resist what might have been the first instinct of many filmmakers by refusing to make Ye-ji and Sang-woo overly patronizing rich jerks.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The Ars OpenForum is a place for readers to ask questions, compare notes, argue (without being jerks to each other), and go down all sorts of rabbit holes.
    — Eric Bangeman, ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of jerks
Noun
  • His high-fashion clowns, bears and other quirks always deliver.
    — Tonya Blazio-Licorish, Footwear News, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The gasoline shortage has become such a feature of daily life that even clowns at Moscow’s circus have cracked jokes about it.
    — Ivan Nechepurenko, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of clowns
Noun
  • Jurors heard testimony from three of Alsheikh’s victims who said they were packed into small, filthy, cold, wet cells that were infested with insects and other vermin.
    — Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026
  • But several involved vermin, which can be stubborn squatters to remove.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of vermin
Noun
  • Three of those species are venomous, including the northern copperhead, which Ballard said are among the hardest venomous snakes to find in Southern Illinois.
    — Noel Brennan, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Over a 13-month period that included the COVID-19 shutdown, the study identified 232 animal carcasses along the route, including bighorn sheep, mountain lions, squirrels and snakes.
    — Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of snakes
Noun
  • New research has also shown that reducing another signaling chemical, norepinephrine, in certain brain regions can decrease rats’ ability to learn from situations where expected rewards are less available.
    — Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • People who live along the interstate in Ferndale say the road work has caused rats to flood into their neighborhoods.
    — Julia Avant, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of rats

Browse Nearby Words

varmint
varmints
varnish
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Cite this Entry

“Varmints.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/varmints. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

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