Sunday Word: Miscreant

[sallymn]

miscreant [mis-kree-uhnt]

adjective:
1 depraved, villainous, or base
2 (archaic) holding a false or unorthodox religious belief; heretical

noun:
1 a vicious or depraved person; villain
2 (archaic) a heretic or infidel

Examples:

Over the years, many hundreds of travelers have complained to me about others’ behavior on the roads, rails and trails. But it’s extremely rare to hear that the miscreant’s motive was concern about another traveler. (Robert Thomson, Sometimes courtesy by drivers creates uncertainty, The Washington Post, October 2012)

But whom would it call upon to track down the miscreant roaming in remote and isolated territory? (Jay Mark, When Buckhorn Baths owner tracked down a roaming buffalo named 'Old Renegade', The Arizona Republic, April 2017)

But that treachery is made to seem alluring through miscreant characterizations that media folk can disavow. (Armond White, Succession and Its Discontents, National Review, April 2023)

Moncharmin's last phrase so dearly expressed the suspicion in which he now held his partner that it was bound to cause a stormy explanation, at the end of which it was agreed that Richard should yield to all Moncharmin's wishes, with the object of helping him to discover the miscreant who was victimizing them. (Gaston Leroux, The Phantom of the Opera)

It was not improbable that the miscreant, having committed the unspeakable crime, was concealing it from Tozer, his ally in the dreadful business. (Edward S Ellis, Two Boys in Wyoming)

Jerk! Ass, arrogant, inconsiderate, mindless, frat-boy, low-life, butt-face, miscreant! (Rory, The Gilmore Girls, Season 5, Episode 10)

Origin:

c. 1300, 'non-Christian, misbelieving, pagan, infidel;' early 15c., 'heretical, unbelieving,' from Old French mescreant 'disbelieving' (Modern French mécréant), from mes- 'wrongly' + creant, present participle of creire 'believe,' from Latin credere 'to believe'. Meaning 'villainous, vile, detestable' is from 1590s. (Online Etymology Dictionary)