Meanings
plural scumbags
- datedslangvulgarA condom.
“A scumbag,” Sonny repeated. “Rubber. A pro-phy-natic. You know what I mean, don't you?”
1978, Sonia Pilcer, Teen Angel, →ISBNSynonyms: condom, cum catcher, rubber
- informalmildlyvulgarA sleazy, disreputable, despicable, or otherwise immoral person; a lowlife.
Can you believe that scumbag Steve asked to sleep with her before even asking her name?
2 more examples
Monroney was variously described as a "scumbag," "SOB," "Snake," "dead sheep," [...] and assorted unprintable adjectives.
1953 July 19, Allen Cromley, “Report from Washington”, in The Daily Oklahoman, Oklahoma City, OK, page 1In the past week, he [Donald Trump] attacked the “truly sick and demented people” in the news media, […], not even counting the “deranged scumbags” in Iran.
2026 March 16, Peter Baker, “In Choosing ‘Epic Fury,’ Trump Names a War and Defines His Presidency”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLCSynonyms: assbag, assbreath, assbucket, asschunk, asscunt, assface, assfag, assfaggot
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA condom.
nounA sleazy, disreputable, despicable, or otherwise immoral person; a lowlife.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna person who is deemed to be despicable or contemptible
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From scum + bag. First use appears c. 1939.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 無賴 /无赖, 流氓
- 無賴 /无赖 (wúlài)despicable person
- 流氓 (liúmáng)despicable person
Dutch rotzak
- rotzakdespicable person
Esperanto aĉulo, kanajlo
- aĉulodespicable person
- kanajlodespicable person
- fiulodespicable person
- friponodespicable person
- kaculodespicable person
Finnish paskiainen, roisto
- paskiainendespicable person
- roistodespicable person
- lurjusdespicable person
- konnadespicable person
French sac à merde, enfoiré
- sac à merdedespicable person
- enfoirédespicable person
- salauddespicable person
German Drecksack, Dreckskerl
- Drecksackdespicable person
- Dreckskerldespicable person
Indonesian bajingan
- bajingandespicable person
Polish śmieć, szumowina
- śmiećdespicable person
- szumowinadespicable person
- drańdespicable person
- zwyroldespicable person
Romanian nenorocit
- nenorocitdespicable person
Russian гни́да, отморо́зок
- гни́да (gnída)despicable person
- отморо́зок (otmorózok)despicable person
- подо́нок (podónok)despicable person
- хмырь (xmyrʹ)despicable person
Slovak hajzel
- hajzeldespicable person
Yiddish סוואָלאָטש, פּאַסקודניאַק
- סוואָלאָטש (svolotsh)despicable person
- פּאַסקודניאַק (paskudnyak)despicable person
Cite this entry
scumbag. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scumbag
“scumbag.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scumbag. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “scumbag,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scumbag.
Source: scumbag on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.