scumbag

noun

scum·​bag ˈskəm-ˌbag 

 also  -ˌbāg

slang

: a dirty or despicable person

Synonyms

• bastard
• beast
• bleeder [British]
• blighter [chiefly British]
• boor
• bounder
• bugger
• buzzard
• cad
• chuff
• churl
• clown
• creep
• cretin
• crud [slang]
• crumb [slang]
• cur
• dirtbag [slang]
• dog
• fink
• heel
• hound
• jerk
• joker
• louse
• lout
• pill
• rat
• rat fink
• reptile
• rotter
• schmuck [slang]
• scum
• scuzzball [slang]
• skunk
• sleaze
• sleazebag [slang]
• sleazeball [slang]
• slime
• slimeball [slang]
• slob
• snake
• so-and-so
• sod [chiefly British]
• stinkard
• stinker
• swine
• toad
• varmint
• vermin

Examples of scumbag in a Sentence

don't romanticize that con artist, as she's nothing more than a scumbag who cheats the most vulnerable

Recent Examples on the Web

Both the judge and jury foreman in the original case would later say the trial changed their view on the death penalty — proving that everyone involved could be absolutely convinced that the defendant was a guilty scumbag who deserved to die … and yet be wrong. —Scott Maxwell, Orlando Sentinel, 30 Jan. 2025

Meanwhile, the misogynistic scumbag Pradeep — who scares Phool away with his advances, rather than helping her — remains hell-bent on tracking Jaya down for nefarious reasons. —Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 10 Dec. 2024

But Pip gets what’s coming to her: Max is a scumbag. —Fletcher Peters, Vulture, 1 Aug. 2024

In these overwhelmingly heteronormative stories, creators explore the eternal question of why, exactly, (some) women are attracted to scumbags. —Eliana Dockterman, TIME, 3 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1957, in the meaning defined above