variants
or scallywag
as in brute
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person
a scalawag who had taken to begging on street corners while posing as a blind person
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scalawag
Among the most memorable was the Oyster Wars, a series of clashes dating back to the 1830s with scalawags descending from all over, looking to cash in on the valuable bivalves.
—
Baltimore Sun Editorial Board, Baltimore Sun, 2 July 2024
The large cast, costumed and made up as a fitly scalawags and sinister buccaneers, gives tremendous energy to every scene.
—Kirk Honeycutt, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 July 2023
Chadha-Patel is ambiguously charming as a scalawag not entirely out for himself.
—cleveland, 1 Dec. 2022
Baltimore Sun Editorial Board, Baltimore Sun, 2 July 2024
The large cast, costumed and made up as a fitly scalawags and sinister buccaneers, gives tremendous energy to every scene.
—Kirk Honeycutt, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 July 2023
Chadha-Patel is ambiguously charming as a scalawag not entirely out for himself.
—cleveland, 1 Dec. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scalawag
Noun
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By the end of the episode, the audience is eager to meet the antihero, the brute, that everyone is talking about.—
Maelle Beauget-Uhl,
Forbes,
14 Mar. 2025
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Slinging a sports coat over his pajamas, Long pulls up to a curb and finds Tay (Dustin Nguyen), the Vietnamese speaker, plus two silent brutes, Eddie (Phi Vu) and Aden (Dali Benssalah), who muscle into his car and take over everything: the seating arrangements, the air freshener and their driver.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Mar. 2025
Noun
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In the comics, Sinestro starts off as a member of the Green Lantern Corp, eventually becoming a villain and starting his own Sinestro Corp.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
14 Mar. 2025
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The real villains, says Mozaffarian, are excessive amounts of refined grains, starches, and sugars, as well as salt and other preservatives, chemical additives, and contaminants from packaging.—
Sarah Boden,
NPR,
14 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Often regarded by historians as a collection of savage tribes, the Scythians emerge as a pivotal force of the ancient world in this monumental history.—
The New Yorker,
The New Yorker,
30 Jan. 2023
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Nearly 32 years ago, Rodney King’s savage beating by police in Los Angeles prompted heartfelt calls for change.—
Aaron Morrison, Claudia Lauer and Adrian Sainz,
Anchorage Daily News,
29 Jan. 2023
Noun
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The first episode was a huge departure for the series, starring Bradley Cooper as a Civil War-era scoundrel, ancestor to the Gemstones, and the main cast wasn’t there at all.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes,
16 Mar. 2025
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One thing was certain: Per its title, it was set in the demimonde of the galaxy far, far away, among its scoundrels, and smugglers, and bounty hunters and assorted other criminals.—
Christian Blauvelt,
IndieWire,
12 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The unfortunate wretch makes an exciting escape, killing her captor in the process.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
18 Feb. 2025
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As Blake transforms into a swollen, oozing wretch who gnaws frantically on his own wounds, his family appears as glowing-eyed aliens, their words a jumble of indecipherable sounds.—
Jeannette Catsoulis,
New York Times,
16 Jan. 2025
Noun
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So, what exactly happened in the roughly 12-minute disaster zone underneath the Live table, that resulted in Consuelos' zipper going rogue?—
EW.com,
EW.com,
12 Mar. 2025
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In an unexpected appearance, a rogue pigeon stole the show during the conclusion of Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday.—
Edward Segarra,
USA TODAY,
11 Mar. 2025
Noun
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After their car is stolen, the group of rascals must resort to some hilarious hijinks to get past the finish line.—
Kara Nesvig,
Parents,
12 Mar. 2025
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The black rascal was giving something what-for, and that prompted a gobble only 200 yards from me, followed by another and another.—
Larry Dablemont,
Outdoor Life,
5 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The modern health insurer is regarded as either a knave or a pawn and is seldom regarded as a knight.—
Sachin H. Jain,
Forbes,
20 Dec. 2024
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Human beings are motivated by virtue (knights) or rigid self-interest (knaves), or are passive victims of their circumstances (pawns).—
Sachin H. Jain,
Forbes,
20 Dec. 2024
Articles Related to scalawag
Cite this Entry
“Scalawag.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scalawag. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
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