Meanings
nounscoundrel (plural scoundrels)
plural scoundrels
- A mean, worthless fellow; a rascal; a villain; a person without honor or virtue.
Go! if your ancient but ignoble blood / Has crept thro' Scoundrels ever ſince the Flood.
1734, [Alexander Pope], An Essay on Man. […], epistle IV, London: […] J[ohn] Wilford, […], →OCLC, page 14, lines 201–202Synonyms: antimodel, bad guy, baddie, bastard, beggar, blackguard, bounder, cad
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA mean, worthless fellow; a rascal; a villain; a person without honor or virtue.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna wicked or evil person; someone who does evil deliberately
Similar
Broader
unwelcome personpersona non grata
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From earlier scondrel, scondrell, skoundrell, skowndrell, of unknown origin. Possibly related to northern English or Scottish scunner, skuner, scouner, scunder (“to shrink back in fear, disgust, or loathing”) (Encyclopædia Britannica 1911).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans skelm
- skelmvillain
Arabic وَغْد, نَذْل
- وَغْد (waḡd)villain
- نَذْل (naḏl)villain
- شِرِّير (širrīr)villain
- مِلْط (milṭ)villain
- وَضِيع (waḍīʕ)villain
- شَقِيّ (šaqiyy)villain
Bulgarian него́дник, него́дничка
- него́дник (negódnik)villain
- него́дничка (negódnička)villain
- мерза́вец (merzávec)villain
- мерза́вка (merzávka)villain
- негодя́й (negodjáj)villain
- подле́ц (podléc)villain
- мръсни́к (mrăsník)villain
- мръсни́чка (mrăsníčka)villain
Catalan brètol, canalla
- brètolvillain
- canallavillain
- roívillain
- roínvillain
- brivallvillain
Chinese Mandarin 惡棍 /恶棍, 壞家伙
- 惡棍 /恶棍 (ègùn)villain
- 壞家伙 (huàijiāhuo)villain
- 混混兒 /混混儿 (hùnhùnr)villain
- 壞蛋 /坏蛋 (huàidàn)villain
- 無籟 /无籁 (wúlài)villain
- 渾蛋 /浑蛋 (húndàn)villain
- 流氓 (liúmáng)villain
- 壞人 /坏人 (huàirén)villain
- 混球 (húnqiú)villain
- 龜兒子 /龟儿子 (guī'érzi)villain
- 王八蛋 (wángbadàn)villain
Czech gauner, darebák
- gaunervillain
- darebákvillain
- darebačkavillain
- lotrvillain
Danish skurk, slubbert
- skurkvillain
- slubberta person without honour or virtue
- slamberta person without honour or virtue
- slyngela person without honour or virtue
Dutch schurk, schavuit
- schurkvillain
- schavuitvillain
- ploertvillain
Esperanto kanajlo, malnoblulo
- kanajlovillain
- malnoblulovillain
- abomenulovillain
- friponovillain
Finnish roisto, lurjus
- roistovillain
- lurjusvillain
- konnavillain
- ketkuvillain
- kanaljavillain
- hunsvottivillain
- kelmivillain
- heittiövillain
- ilkimysvillain
- lierovillain
- ketalevillain
French scélérat, scélérate
- scélératvillain
- scélératevillain
- gredinvillain
- gredinevillain
- canaillevillain
German Gauner, Gaunerin
- Gaunervillain
- Gaunerinvillain
- Halunkevillain
- Halunkinvillain
- Schurkevillain
- Schurkinvillain
Greek παλιάνθρωπος
- παλιάνθρωπος (paliánthropos)villain
Hebrew בֶּן בְּלִיַּעַל
- בֶּן בְּלִיַּעַל (ben bliyá'al)villain
Hindi बदमाश
- बदमाश (badmāś)villain
Hungarian gazember, lókötő
- gazembervillain
- lókötővillain
- csirkefogóvillain
- gazfickóvillain
Indonesian bajingan, bangsat
- bajinganvillain
- bangsatvillain
Irish bithiúnach, alfraits
- bithiúnachvillain
- alfraitsvillain
- anchúinsevillain
- ropairevillain
Italian canaglia, farabutto
- canagliavillain
- farabuttovillain
- furfantevillain
- mascalzonevillain
- bricconevillain
- disonestovillain
- manigoldovillain
Japanese 悪党, 悪漢
- 悪党 (akutō)villain
- 悪漢 (akkan)villain
- 悪人 (akunin)villain
Korean 악당, 악한
- 악당 (akdang)villain
- 악한 (akhan)villain
- 불량자 (bullyangja)villain
Latin furcifer, furcifera
- furcifervillain
- furciferavillain
- verberōvillain
Māori taurekareka, tainanakia
- taurekarekavillain
- tainanakiavillain
Persian رذل
- رذل (razl)villain
Polish łotr, drań
- łotrvillain
- drańvillain
- obwieśvillain
- łajdakvillain
- złoczyńcavillain
- podlecvillain
- kanaliavillain
- łachudravillain
- bydlakvillain
- bydlęvillain
- mendavillain
- łajzavillain
Portuguese canalha
- canalhavillain
Punjabi ਲੁੱਚ, ਲੁੰਡ
- ਲੁੱਚ (lucca)villain
- ਲੁੰਡ (luṇḍ)villain
- ਬਦਮਾਸ਼ (badmāś)villain
- ਰਿੰਦ (rind)villain
Romanian mișel, mișea
- mișelvillain
- mișeavillain
Russian негодя́й, негодя́йка
- негодя́й (negodjáj)villain
- негодя́йка (negodjájka)villain
- мерза́вец (merzávec)villain
- мерза́вка (merzávka)villain
- подле́ц (podléc)villain
- паску́да (paskúda)villain
- мразь (mrazʹ)villain
- падлю́ка (padljúka)villain
- парши́вец (paršívec)villain
- парши́вка (paršívka)villain
- подо́нок (podónok)villain
- вы́родок (výrodok)villain
Scottish Gaelic bleigeard, blaigeard
- bleigeardvillain
- blaigeardvillain
- balgairvillain
- slaightearvillain
Slovak darebák, darebačka
- darebákvillain
- darebačkavillain
- gaunervillain
- lotorvillain
Spanish bribón, canalla
- bribónvillain
- canallavillain
- bellacovillain
- villanovillain
- malandrínvillain
- pillastrevillain
- sinvergüenzavillain
- barrabásvillain
- bandidovillain
- jetavillain
- mezquinovillain
Swedish usling, lymmel
- uslingvillain
- lymmelvillain
- svinpälsvillain
- fähundvillain
Tagalog balawis
- balawisvillain
Turkish alçak, köpek
- alçakvillain
- köpekvillain
- dürzüvillain
Ukrainian негі́дник, негі́дниця
- негі́дник (nehídnyk)villain
- негі́дниця (nehídnycja)villain
- драб (drab)villain
- мерзо́тник (merzótnyk)villain
- мерзо́тниця (merzótnycja)villain
- пога́нець (pohánecʹ)villain
- паску́да (paskúda)villain
- падлю́ка (padljúka)villain
- підло́тник (pidlótnyk)villain
- парши́вець (paršývecʹ)villain
- парши́вка (paršývka)villain
- своло́та (svolóta)villain
Yiddish פּאַסקודניאַק, סוואָלאָטש
- פּאַסקודניאַק (paskudnyak)villain
- סוואָלאָטש (svolotsh)villain
Cite this entry
APA
scoundrel. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scoundrel
MLA
“scoundrel.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scoundrel. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “scoundrel,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scoundrel.
Source: scoundrel on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.