as in villain
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person
a whoring, drunken scapegrace who was blackening the family's name
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of scapegrace
Her affect evokes old-timey words — scamp, scapegrace, minx.
—
New York Times, 22 July 2021
Suddenly, Juliana’s romantic ennui is interrupted by the reappearance, after an 11-year absence, of her scapegrace oldest brother.
—Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 12 Feb. 2020
The Middle Ages died dismally, and the scapegrace poet Francois Villon sang their requiem in the wineshops of the Cité.
—Bruce Dale, National Geographic, 17 Apr. 2019
Somehow, a theme-park ride combined with clever, madcap visuals and Johnny Depp’s scapegrace showboating added up to something fresh.
—A. O. Scott, New York Times, 25 May 2017
New York Times, 22 July 2021
Suddenly, Juliana’s romantic ennui is interrupted by the reappearance, after an 11-year absence, of her scapegrace oldest brother.
—Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 12 Feb. 2020
The Middle Ages died dismally, and the scapegrace poet Francois Villon sang their requiem in the wineshops of the Cité.
—Bruce Dale, National Geographic, 17 Apr. 2019
Somehow, a theme-park ride combined with clever, madcap visuals and Johnny Depp’s scapegrace showboating added up to something fresh.
—A. O. Scott, New York Times, 25 May 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scapegrace
Noun
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This shortcoming extends to its assortment of villains who, despite including celebrity appearances like AEW wrestler Samoa Joe, fail to leave a memorable impression beyond being yet another obstacle on the way to the end credits.—
Isaiah Colbert,
Rolling Stone,
18 Feb. 2025
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More news: Warner Bros Delays 'The Batman 2' For a Third Time One of Batman's biggest foes is Clayface, a villain who can mold his body into a multitude of devastating shapes.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
14 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Smith has been on the outer of the Australian team in the T20 format, his weakest format where his lack of power can get exposed in a game dotted by muscular brutes.—
Tristan Lavalette,
Forbes,
20 Jan. 2025
-
Maliki is a divisive brute whom Iran supports to the hilt.—
Dov Friedman,
Foreign Affairs,
17 June 2014
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
-
Investigation of the week: Anyone wanna play devil’s Daniel’s advocate?—
Jennifer Zhan,
Vulture,
14 Feb. 2025
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The album’s artwork depicts a cartoon version of the messy-haired singer with an angel and devil on each of his shoulders — demonstrating its division of impassioned feel-good love songs and down-tempo ballads of loss and defeat.—
Cerys Davies,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Distorted and exaggerated by Weegee’s hand—with grins set in a chilling rictus, or eyes and noses spread wide and pancaked—these idols became monsters.—
Naomi Fry,
The New Yorker,
22 Feb. 2025
-
Monster Train 2 looks to be building on the foundations of its predecessor, so players will once again board a train and defend it against incoming monster hordes on several vertical levels at the same time.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
20 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Williamson spends the entire movie moving from one L.A. locale and subculture to another, meeting a motley crew of criminals rich, scrappy, and everything in between, along the way.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
24 Feb. 2025
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Might be important later: the criminal was able to gain entrance to the White Lotus property when Valentin pulls up on his motorcycle to the security gate to chat with Gaitok, at the exact moment a random SUV containing the thief sails through.—
Dan Heching,
CNN,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The wretch was one E. W. Perera, a pivotal figure in the Ceylonese independence movement—and someone the narrator had celebrated growing up in Sri Lanka.—
Dan Piepenbring,
Harper's Magazine,
2 Jan. 2025
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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
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
Articles Related to scapegrace
Cite this Entry
“Scapegrace.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scapegrace. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.
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