Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Miscreant |
MiscreantNoun1. A person without moral scruples. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "miscreant" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1050. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Satire | MISCREANT, n. A person of the highest degree of unworth. Etymologically, the word means unbeliever, and its present signification may be regarded as theology's noblest contribution to the development of our language. Source: Devil's Dictionary. |
Literature | Miscreant (3 syl.) means a false believer. (French, mis-créance.) A term first applied to the Mahometans. The Mahometans, in return, call Christians infidels, and associate with the word all that we mean by "miscreants." Source: Brewer's Dictionary. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
Synonym: MiscreantSynonym: reprobate (n). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Bad Man | Villain, rascal, scoundrel, miscreant, budmash, caitiff; wretch, reptile, viper, serpent, basilisk, urchin; tiger, monster; devil; (demon); devil incarnate; demon in human shape, Nana Sahib; hellhound, hellcat; rakehell. |
Incredulity | The word miscreant, which originally meant simply misbeliever, has now quite another meaning (). See Trench, On the Study of Words, p. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Miscreant |
| English words defined with "miscreant": Knave child ♦ Mis-, Miscreancy, Miscredent. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "miscreant": INAUSPICIOUSLY. (references) |
| Etymologies containing "miscreant": Miscredent. (references) |
| Domain | Title |
Books | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | INAUSPICIOUSLY, adv. In an unpromising manner, the auspices being unfavorable. Among the Romans it was customary before undertaking any important action or enterprise to obtain from the augurs, or state prophets, some hint of its probable outcome; and one of their favorite and most trustworthy modes of divination consisted in observing the flight of birds -- the omens thence derived being called auspices. Newspaper reporters and certain miscreant lexicographers have decided that the word -- always in the plural -- shall mean "patronage" or "management"; as, "The festivities were under the auspices of the Ancient and Honorable Order of Body-Snatchers"; or, "The hilarities were auspicated by the Knights of Hunger." A Roman slave appeared one day Before the Augur. "Tell me, pray, If --" here the Augur, smiling, made A checking gesture and displayed His open palm, which plainly itched, For visibly its surface twitched. A denarius (the Latin nickel) Successfully allayed the tickle, And then the slave proceeded: "Please Inform me whether Fate decrees Success or failure in what I To-night (if it be dark) shall try. Its nature? Never mind -- I think 'Tis writ on this" -- and with a wink Which darkened half the earth, he drew Another denarius to view, Its shining face attentive scanned, Then slipped it into the good man's hand, Who with great gravity said: "Wait While I retire to question Fate." That holy person then withdrew His scared clay and, passing through The temple's rearward gate, cried "Shoo!" Waving his robe of office. Straight Each sacred peacock and its mate (Maintained for Juno's favor) fled With clamor from the trees o'erhead, Where they were perching for the night. The temple's roof received their flight, For thither they would always go, When danger threatened them below. Back to the slave the Augur went: "My son, forecasting the event By flight of birds, I must confess The auspices deny success." That slave retired, a sadder man, Abandoning his secret plan -- Which was (as well the craft seer Had from the first divined) to clear The wall and fraudulently seize On Juno's poultry in the trees. G.J. |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| "Miscreant" is generally used as an adjective (general or positive) -- approximately 54.55% of the time. "Miscreant" is used about 11 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Adjective (general or positive) | 54.55% | 6 | 143,867 |
| Noun (singular) | 45.45% | 5 | 157,705 |
| Total | 100.00% | 11 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
Expression using "miscreant": the word miscreant. Additional references. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day |
miscreant | 9 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Language | Translations for "miscreant"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Albanian | maskara (bastard, blackguard, scab), zuzar (rapscallion, rascal, villain), kopuk (bad character, blackguard, cad, knave, rapscallion, rascal, reprobate, ruffian, scamp, scapegrace, varmint, villain), i zvetënuar (perverted), i poshtër (beggarly, blackguardly, caitiff, dastardly, dirt, ignoble, infamous, mean, nasty, nefarious, picayune, rammish, scoundrelly, scurvy, sneaking, sneaky). (various references) | |
Arabic | فاسق (bawdy, debauched, degraded, dissipated, dissolute, don juan, fornicator, immoral, lascivious, lecherous, lewd, libertine, licentious, light, lubricious, obscene, philanderer, profligate, punk, raffish, rakish, scab, scarlet, slippery, unchaste, uninhibited, wanton), كافر (apostate, atheist, disbeliever, faithless, godless, infidel, non-religious), مجرم (criminal, culprit, delinquent, evil doer, felon, gangster, guilty, malefactor, perpetrator), نزل (bring down, camp, cantonal, climb down, come down, decline, depress, descend, drop, get down, get off, glide, go down, hostel, inn, lodge, lodging house, low, lower, move, nest, pull down, put down, rascal, reach down, road house, scab, scroll, send, shade, sink, slip down, step down, take down, tavern), لئيم (base, depraved, evil, low, mean), وغد (cad, rascal, rogue, scoundrel, tear away). (various references) | |
Bulgarian | низък (abject, base, contemptible, degraded, ignoble, low down, low-minded, mangy, mean, mean-spirited, paltry, scaly, scurvy, unworthy, vile, villainous, yellow), мерзавец (skunk, whoreson), лош (bad, chronic, cobbler, evil, fie-fie, foul, ill natured, ill tempered, ill-conditioned, inferior, loose, lousy, malefic, maleficent, malign, mean, miserable, nasty, naughty, poor, rough, rugged, severe, shoddy, sinister, sorry, thumping, ugly, vicious, wicked, wrong), погански, поганец, подъл (base, blackguardly, caitiff, creeping, dastardly, devilish, diabolic, diabolical, dirt, dirty, dishonorable, dishonourable, jesuitic, jesuitical, low, low down, low-minded, mean, mean-spirited, recreant, reptile, scurvy, shabby, snaky, sneaking, sneaky, snide, vile, villainous), изверг (hell-hound, monster), друговерски (uncircumcised), друговерец, долен човек (hog, snipe). (various references) | |
Chinese | 恶汉. (various references) | |
Czech | zlosyn (baddie, villain), nièema (blackguard, heel, rogue, rotter, ruffian, scoundrel, vagabond, villain), lotr (blackguard, ruffian, swine). (various references) | |
French | scélérat, gredin. (various references) | |
German | schurke (a rascally fellow, baddie, blackguard, bounder, cheat, crook, desperado, knave, rascal, rogue, scoundrel, scoundrell, villain). (various references) | |
Greek | παλιάνθρωποσ (blackguard, knave, rascal, rotter, scalawag, scamp, scapegrace, scoundrel, skunk), αχρείοσ (depraved, foul, infamous, rascal, rascally, scoundrel, scurrile, scurrilous, scurvy, vile, villainous), ουτιδανόσ (scummy). (various references) | |
Hebrew | שפל (base, degeneration, ebb, humble, indolent, lousy, low, low down, low tide, lowliness, mean, mean-spirited, meek, minimum, ornery, recession, scabby, scamp, shabby, sordid, vile), עברין (culprit, defaulter, delinquent, malefactor, malfeasant, offender, sinner, transgressor), וכל (charlatan, crafty, crook, impostor, knave, racketeer, rogue, scoundrel, shark, sharper, swindrel, trickster). (various references) | |
Hungarian | semmirekellő (beach-comber, blighter, jerk-off, rep, reprobate, rotter, scalawag, scallawag, scallywag, wrong'un), istentelen (freaking, godless, impious, pagan, paganish, ungodly, unholy), hitetlen (atheist, disbeliever, godless, impious, incredulous, infidel, irreligious, misbeliever, nescient, non believer, unbeliever, unbelieving, unchristian), gonosztevő (baddie, evildoer, felon, thug), gazfickó (cad, caitiff, knave, rogue), gazember (bad hat, bad lot, bastard, blackguard, bugger, deceiver, rascal, rogue, s.o.b., scoundrel, shabby fellow, shag, son of a gun, thief, villain), bűnöző (delinquent, evildoer, goon, moronic, offender). (various references) | |
Italian | miscredènte, furfante (knave, picaroon, rascal, rogue, scalawag, scallywag, scoundrel, skunk, villain), briccone (imp, knave, rascal, rascally, rogue, scamp). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 人で無し (brute, ungrateful fellow). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | ひとでなし (brute, ungrateful fellow). (various references) | |
Pig Latin | iscreantmay.(various references) | |
Portuguese | miserável (abject, costive, dismal, evil, godforsaken, logy, meager, misbegotten, miserable, miserly, paltry, picayune, pimping, poky, poor, rascally, scaly, scoundrel, scurvy, skinflint, sordid, squalid, wretch, wretched), herético (heretical). (various references) | |
Romanian | ticãlos (a bad egg, base, cad, canting, cur, dark, dirty, felon, foul, heel, hound, impious, kite, knave, knavish, knavishly, low-minded, mean, meanly, paltry, perverse, picaroon, rapscallion, rascal, rascally, recreant, reprobate, ruffian, scab, scabby, scamp, scoundrel, scurvy, serpentine, shabby, skunk, sneak, sneaking, vile, villain, villainous, wretch, wretched), tâlhar (brigand, captor, cracksman, footpad, gangster, harrier, highwayman, lurcher, robber, rogue, scoundrel, sharp, thief), criminal (criminal, criminally, felon, felonious, flagitious, malefactor, misdemeanant, murderer, murderous, offender, outrageous, perpetrator, slayer). (various references) | |
Russian | злодей (cannibal, evildoer, fiend, malefactor, villain). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | zločinac (criminal, evil doer, felon, malefactor, outlaw), zločinački (criminal, felonious, flagitious), nevernik (atheist, disbeliever, infidel, jilt, kafir, non believer, nonbeliever, traitor, unbeliever), bezbožan (godless, impious, unfaithful, ungodly, unhallowed, unrighteous). (various references) | |
Spanish | villano (villain, villainous, villein), sinvergüenza (blackguard, blighter, bounder, cad, rotter, scoundrel, shameless, shocker, you little beggar, you little perisher), hereje (heretic, misbeliever), bellaco (cunning, deceitful, knave, wicked). (various references) | |
Swedish | skurkaktig (knavish, miscreated, roguish, ruffianly, villainous), skurk (baddie, blackguard, cheat, crook, heavy, jackal, louses, mug, rapscallion, rogue, ruffian, scoundrel, villain, viper). (various references) | |
Turkish | zalim (arbitrary, atrocious, bloody minded, brutal, cruel, cutthroat, daemon, demon, draconian, draconic, fell, felon, fiendish, flinty, grim, heavy, heavy-handed, ill natured, inhuman, ogre, oppressive, oppressor, outrageous, persecutor, sanguinary, savage, stony, truculent, tyrannic, tyrannical), kötü kimse, kötü (bad, badly, black, chintzy, devilish, dread, dreadfull, evil, feeble, fierce, grotty, harmful, haunted, hedge, hellish, horrible, horrid, ill, indifferent, iniquitous, lousy, malign, mis-, miserable, nasty, nefarious, obnoxious, off, offensive, poor, poorly, portentous, purple, rough, seamy, shady, sinister, sticky, stinking, ugly, unhallowed, unrighteous, vicious, wicked, worse, wrongful), imansız (faithless, infidel, misbeliever, unbeliever). (various references) | |
Ukrainian | розбещений (abandoned, bad, corrupt, debauched, degenerate, depraved, filthy, licentious, spoilt, wanton, wild), негідник (blackguard, cad, caitiff, cullion, gallows, niddering, pimp, rascal, reprobate, scoundrel, skunk, thief, varlet, wretch), зіпсований (addle, adulterated, bad, base, corrupt, debauched, decadent, deformed, degenerate, naughty, out of order, spoilt, unsound, wrong), лиходій (cannibal, felon, fiend, malefactor, villain). (various references) | |
Vietnamese | vô lại (caddish, scoundrelly), ti tiện (blithering, caitiff, low, paltry, small), người không tín ngưỡng (irreligionist, misbeliever), không tín ngưỡng (impious), kẻ vô lại, kẻ ti tiện. (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | scelerata. (various references) |
| Avestan | 200-600 | xrafstrâish. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "miscreant": miscreants. (additional references) | |
| |
"Miscreant" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: mescreant, micreant, miscretant, miscriant, Tisserant. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "miscreant" (pronounced mi"skrēunt) |
| 5 | -r ē u n t | invariant, nutrient, prurient, variant. |
| 4 | -ē u n t | ambient, affiant, defoliant, deviant, disobedient, expedient, incipient, ingredient, lenient, luxuriant, obedient, percipient, prescient, radiant, recipient, salient, subservient. |
| 3 | -u n t | agent, aggrandizement, agreement, ailment, alignment, allotment, amazement, ambivalent, amendment, amusement, ancient, announcement, annulment, antecedent, antidepressant, antigovernment, antioxidant, apartment, apparent, appeasement, applicant, appointment, apportionment, ardent, argent, argument, armament, arraignment, arrangement, arrant, arrogant, absent, absorbent, abstinent, abundant, accelerant, accident, accompaniment, accomplishment, abandonment, abatement, aberrant, abhorrent, abortifacient, accountant, accouterment, achievement, acknowledgement, acknowledgment, adamant, adherent, adjacent, adjournment, adjustment, adjutant, adolescent, adornment, advancement, advertisement, advisement, afferent, affluent, ascendant, aspirant, assailant, assessment, assignment, assistant, assortment, astonishment, astringent, atonement, attachment, attainment, attendant, banishment, basement, battlement, belligerent, bemusement, beneficent, benevolent, bereavement, betterment, bewilderment, blandishment, blatant, bombardment, brilliant, buoyant, celebrant, claimant, clairvoyant, Clement, client, coefficient, cogent, cognizant, coherent, coincident, combatant, commandment, commencement, commitment, compartment, competent, complacent, complainant, complaisant, complement, compliant, component, comportment, concealment, concomitant, concurrent, condiment, confident, confinement, confluent, consequent, consignment, consistent, consonant, constant, constituent, consultant, containment, contaminant, contentment, contestant, continent, contingent, convalescent, convenient, convent, convergent, conversant, coolant, copayment, corespondent, cormorant, correspondent, Courant, covenant, Crescent, crosscurrent, current, curtailment, ignorant, immanent, immigrant, imminent, impairment, impatient, impeachment, impediment, impertinent, implement, important, impotent, impoundment, impoverishment, impressment, imprisonment, improvement, imprudent, inadvertent, incandescent, debarment, debasement, decadent, decedent, decent, declarant, decongestant, defendant, deferment, defiant, deficient, delinquent, deodorant, department, dependent, deployment, deportment, depressant, derailment, descendant, descendent, despondent, detachment, detergent, determent, determinant, deterrent, detriment, development, different, diligent, diminishment, disagreement, disappointment, disarmament, disbarment, disbursement, discernment, discordant, discouragement, disenchantment, disenfranchisement, disengagement, disestablishment, disgruntlement, disillusionment, disinfectant, disinvestment, dismantlement, dismemberment, dispersant, displacement, dissident, dissonant, distant, divalent, divergent, divestment, docent, dominant, dormant, easement, ebullient, efferent, effervescent, efficient, effluent, elegant, element, elephant, eloquent, embankment, embarrassment, embayment, embellishment, embezzlement, embodiment, emergent, emigrant, eminent, emplacement, employment, empowerment, enactment, encampment, enchantment, encirclement, encouragement, encroachment, endangerment, endearment, endorsement, endowment, enforcement, engagement, enhancement, enjoyment, enlargement, enlightenment, enlistment, enrichment, enrollment, enslavement, entanglement, entertainment, enticement, entitlement, entombment, entrant, entrapment, entrenchment, environment, equipment, equivalent, errant, escapement, escarpment, esculent, establishment, estrangement, evanescent, evident, excellent, excitement, excrement, exigent, existent, exorbitant, expectant, expectorant, experiment, exponent, extant, extinguishment, extravagant, exuberant, exultant, Fabricant, fervent, figment, filament, flagrant, flamboyant, flatulent, flippant, fluent, fluorescent, formant, fragment, fragrant, fraudulent, frequent, fulfillment, gallant, garment, garnishment, giant, government, grandiloquent, grandparent, harassment, hesitant, hydrant, incessant, incident, incitement, inclement, incoherent, incompetent, inconsistent, incontinent, inconvenient, increment, incumbent, indecent, independent, indictment, indifferent, indigent, indignant, indolent, inducement, indulgent, inefficient, infant, informant, infotainment, infrequent, infringement, inhabitant, inhalant, inherent, innocent, inpatient, insignificant, insistent, insolent, insolvent, installment, instant, instrument, insufficient, insurgent, integument, intelligent, intercurrent, interdependent, intermittent, internment, intersegment, intolerant, intransigent, investment, involvement, iridescent, irrelevant, irreverent, irritant, itinerant, jubilant, judgement, judgment, latent, leant, lieutenant, ligament, litigant, lubricant, lucent, luminescent, magnificent, malevolent, malignant, maltreatment, management, measurement, merchant, micromanagement, migrant, militant, misgovernment, misjudgment, mismanagement, misstatement, mistreatment, moment, monovalent, monument, mordant, movement, mutant, nascent, negligent, noncombatant, nonexistent, nongovernment, nonmanagement, nonpayment, nonresident, nonviolent, nourishment, observant, obsolescent, occupant, odorant, ointment, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, operant, opponent, opulent, ornament, orpiment, outpatient, outplacement, overconfident, overpayment, overstatement, oxidant, pageant, parchment, parent, parliament, participant, patent, patient, pavement, payment, peasant, penchant, pendant, penitent, pennant, permanent, persistent, pertinent, petulant, pheasant, pigment, piquant, placement, pleasant, pliant, poignant, pollutant, postponement, postretirement, potent, preadolescent, precedent, predicament, predominant, preeminent, pregnant, prejudgment, prepayment, present, presentment, prevalent, procurement, proficient, prominent, pronouncement, propellant, proponent, protestant, provident, prudent, pungent, punishment, pursuant, puzzlement, quadrant, quiescent, quotient, rampant, readjustment, reagent, realignment, reappointment, reapportionment, rearmament, rearrangement, reassessment, reassignment, recalcitrant, recent, recombinant, recruitment, recurrent, redeployment, redevelopment, redundant, reemployment, reenactment, refinement, refreshment, refrigerant, refurbishment, Regent, regiment, registrant, reimbursement, reinforcement, reinstatement, reinvestment, relevant, reliant, reluctant, reminiscent, remnant, repayment, repellent, repentant, replacement, replenishment, repugnant, requirement, resentment, resettlement, resident, resilient, resistant, resonant, resplendent, respondent, restatement, resultant, resurgent, retardant, reticent, retirement, retrenchment, reverent, rodent, rudiment, ruminant, sacrament, seafront, sealant, sediment, segment, semipermanent, sentiment, Sequent, sergeant, serpent, servant, settlement, shipment, significant, silent, solvent, somnolent, stagnant, statement, stimulant, strident, stringent, student, subcontinent, subsequent, succulent, sufficient, supergiant, superintendent, supplement, supplicant, suppressant, surfactant, talent, tangent, temperament, tenant, tenement, testament, tetravalent, tolerant, torrent, tournament, transcendent, transient, translucent, transparent, treatment, trenchant, trident, triumphant, truant, truculent, tumescent, turbulent, tyrant, undercurrent, underdevelopment, underemployment, undergarment, underpayment, understatement, unemployment, unimportant, unpleasant, unrepentant, urgent, vacant, vagrant, valiant, vehement, verdant, vibrant, vigilant, violent, virulent, warrant, wonderment. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "a-c-e-i-m-n-r-s-t" | |
-1 letter: amnestic, canister, carmines, centrism, ceramist, ceratins, cisterna, creatins, cremains, matrices, minarets, mistrace, raiments, scantier, scimetar, semantic, tacrines. | |
-2 letters: acetins, amnesic, anestri, antsier, arcsine, arsenic, canters, carmine, carnets, carnies, ceratin, certain, cineast, cinemas, cistern, creatin, cretins, cristae, etamins, imarets, inmates, maestri, mantric, marines, martens, martins, metrics, minaret, mincers, minster, minters, misrate, narcism, narcist. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-c-e-i-m-n-r-s-t" | |
+1 letter: centigrams, centralism, cremations, criminates, manticores, miscreants. | |
+2 letters: centralisms, charmingest, creationism, importances, intercampus, macerations, manneristic, martensitic, miscreating, miscreation, remittances, romanticise. | |
+3 letters: acquirements, actinometers, anticonsumer, carminatives, centimorgans, circumstance, commentaries, conservatism, craniotomies, creationisms, curtailments, demarcations, discriminate, dominatrices, emancipators, embrocations, euchromatins, gastrocnemii, importancies, imprecations, incriminates, mercantilism, mercantilist, mercurations, metacentrics, metrications, miscreations, predicaments, reclamations, recombinants, recriminates, romanticised, romanticises, romanticizes, sectarianism. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Commercial | 5. Quotations: Non-fiction 6. Usage Frequency 7. Expressions 8. Expressions: Internet | 9. Translations: Modern 10. Translations: Ancient 11. Derivations 12. Rhymes | 13. Anagrams 14. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
