miscreant

• POS: Adjective, Noun
• HYPHEN: mis=cre=ant

CIDE DICTIONARY

miscreant, n. [OF. mescreant, F. mécréant; pref. mes- (L. minus less) + p. pr. fr. L. credere to believe. See Creed.].

•  One who holds a false religious faith; a misbeliever.  Spenser. De Quincey.  [1913 Webster]

  "Thou oughtest not to be slothful to the destruction of the miscreants, but to constrain them to obey our Lord God."  [1913 Webster]
•  One not restrained by Christian principles; an unscrupulous villain; a depraved person; a vile wretch.  Addison.

miscreant, a. 

•  Holding a false religious faith.  [1913 Webster]
•  Destitute of conscience; unscrupulous; villainous; base; depraved.  Pope.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

miscreant, n. & adj.
--n.
1 a vile wretch, a villain.
2 archaic a heretic.
--adj.
1 depraved, villainous.
2 archaic heretical.

Etymology

ME f. OF mescreant (as MIS-(2), creant part. of croire f. L credere believe)

DEVIL DICTIONARY

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.

THESAURUS

miscreant

backslider, bad egg, bad lot, base, bastard, black sheep, blackguard, caitiff, corrupt, criminal, crook, degenerate, depraved, evil, fallen angel, felon, felonious, flagitious, good-for-nothing, heel, hood, hoodlum, hooligan, infamous, iniquitous, knave, lecher, lost sheep, lost soul, lowlife, malefactor, malefic, malevolent, mischief-maker, mischievous, mug, nefarious, perverse, pervert, pimp, profligate, rapscallion, rascal, rascally, recidivist, recreant, reprobate, rogue, rough, roughneck, rowdy, ruffian, scalawag, scamp, scapegrace, scoundrel, scoundrelly, sorry lot, thug, trollop, unhealthy, unprincipled, vicious, villain, villainous, whore, wicked, wretch, wretched, wrongdoer

ROGET THESAURUS

miscreant

Bad Man

N bad man, wrongdoer, worker of iniquity, evildoer, sinner, the wicked, bad example, villain, rascal, scoundrel, miscreant, budmash, caitiff, wretch, reptile, viper, serpent, cockatrice, basilisk, urchin, tiger, monster, devil, devil incarnate, demon in human shape, Nana Sahib, hellhound, hellcat, rakehell, bad woman, jade, Jezebel, scamp, scapegrace, rip, runagate, ne'er-do-well, reprobate, scalawag, scallawag, rou_e, rake, Sadist, skeesicks, skeezix, limb, one who has sold himself to the devil, fallen angel, ame damnee, vaurien, mauvais sujet, loose fish, sad dog, rounder, lost sheep, black sheep, castaway, recreant, defaulter, prodigal, rough, rowdy, hooligan, tough, ugly customer, mean mother, ruffian, bully, meanie, Jonathan Wild, hangman, incendiary, arsonist, fire bug, thief, murderer, terrorist, culprit, delinquent, crook, hoodlum, hood, criminal, thug, malefactor, offender, perpetrator, perp, disorderly person, misdemeanant, outlaw, scofflaw, vandal, felon, (convicted criminal), criminal, convict, prisoner, inmate, jail bird, ticket of leave man, multiple offender, blackguard, polisson, loafer, sneak, rapscallion, rascallion, cullion, mean wretch, varlet, kern, ame-de-boue, drole, cur, dog, hound, whelp, mongrel, lown, loon, runnion, outcast, vagabond, rogue, ronian, scum of the earth, riffraff, Arcades ambo, Int, sirrah!, Acherontis pabulum, gibier de potence.