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
Examples 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.
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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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Maliki is a divisive brute whom Iran supports to the hilt.Dov Friedman, Foreign Affairs, 17 June 2014
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One million doctors to give care, 1.4 million brutes in cubicles doing their best to stop doctors from giving that care.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 16 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Also tossed in are picturesque but gratuitous use of famous tourist landmarks as background, near-superheroic training montages, credible intimate character dynamics, a ruthless villain (Johan Heldenbergh as Vanaken) and action that in the home stretch goes absurdly over-the-top.Dennis Harvey, Variety, 13 Jan. 2025
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And though Young and (especially) the perpetrators of the massacre are clearly the villains of the piece, their past history at least partly explains their choices.Keith Phipps, Vulture, 10 Jan. 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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Now that movie’s writer-director, Leigh Whannell, has returned to bring another classic fiend into the 21st century, with Poor Things scoundrel Christopher Abbott as a family man who starts feeling a little hairy after a full-moon encounter at his childhood home.A.A. Dowd, Vulture, 6 Jan. 2025
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That this once-relevant scoundrel's fall from something like grace uplifts so many is a testament to the joy to be found in seeing a cocky operator get his overdue comeuppance.Dan Perry, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The wretch in question has cut down one of the speaker’s spruce trees without his permission.Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2023
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Had this poor wretch been well supplied with friends and money the result, as in numerous other instances, might have been different.San Diego Union-Tribune, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2023
Noun
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But what if rogue cops were paid off to help criminals with their exploits?Marco della Cava, USA TODAY, 14 Jan. 2025
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Watch The Official Trailer Of 'Creature Commandos' By Rahul Majumdar Contributing Pop Culture Writer 0 Batman's rogues gallery is iconic.Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Orange cats have earned an online reputation for being chaotic, energetic rascals.Gayoung Lee, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Dec. 2024
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Eventually, Sergei — now going by Kraven — begins knocking off a growing list of poachers, corporate rascals and international kingpins.David Fear, Rolling Stone, 5 Dec. 2024
Noun
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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
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Still, our heroes are not traditional heroes but rather scoundrels and knaves and outcasts, all of whom have complex inner turmoil and compelling character arcs.Erik Kain, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Scalawag.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scalawag. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
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