What does "reprobate" mean?
One rejected by God; a sinful person.
Reprobate
/ˈɹɛpɹəbət/ adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: One rejected by God; a sinful person.
- Grammar: reprobate is listed as adj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: abandoned, abominable, accursed, accuse.
- Useful contrasts: accept, approve, authorize.
- Usage evidence: The tavern was full of all manner of reprobate.
How to use "reprobate"
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- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "reprobate" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "reprobate" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "reprobate" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "reprobate" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "reprobate" is acting as adj, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abandoned" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "reprobate", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 One rejected by God; a sinful person.
"And the solitarines of man, which God had namely and principally orderd to prevent by mariage, hath no remedy, but lies under a worse condition then the loneliest single life; for in single life the absence and remotenes of a helper might inure him to expect his own comforts out of himselfe, or to seek with hope; but here the continuall sight of his deluded thoughts without cure, must needs be to him, if especially his complexion incline him to melancholy, a daily trouble and paine of losse in som degree like that which Reprobats feel."
- 2 a person without moral scruples wordnet
- 3 A person with low morals or principles.
"I acknowledge myself for a reprobate, a villain, a traitor to the king."
Verb
- 1 To have strong disapproval of something; to reprove; to condemn.
"Lord Rotheles allowed it was a very sufficient cause for returning soon, and reprobated all delays of letters, though he confessed to being a very idle correspondent;..."
- 2 reject (documents) as invalid wordnet
- 3 Of God: to abandon or reject, to deny eternal bliss.
- 4 express strong disapproval of wordnet
- 5 To refuse, set aside.
Show 1 more definition
- 6 abandon to eternal damnation wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Rejected; cast off as worthless. rare
"Reprobate silver shall men call them, because the Lord hath rejected them."
- 2 Rejected by God; damned, sinful.
- 3 Immoral, having no religious or principled character.
"The reprobate criminal sneered at me."
Adjective
- 1 deviating from what is considered moral or right or proper or good wordnet
Example
"The tavern was full of all manner of reprobate."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "reprobate"?
Common synonyms include: abandoned, abominable, accursed, accuse, amoral, anathematize.
How do you use "reprobate" in a sentence?
The tavern was full of all manner of reprobate.
How do you pronounce "reprobate"?
Pronounced /ˈɹɛpɹəbət/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
First attested in c. 1425, in Middle English; inherited from Middle English reprobat(e) (“condemned, damned”, also used as the past participle of reprobaten), borrowed from Latin reprobātus (“disapproved, rejected, condemned”), perfect passive participle of reprobō, see -ate (adjective-forming suffix). The noun was derived from the adjective by substantivization, see -ate (noun-forming suffix).
Etymology 2
First attested in c. 1451, in Middle English; inherited from Middle English reprobaten, from reprobat(e) (“condemned, damned”, also used as the past participle of reprobaten) + -en (verb-forming suffix), borrowed from Latin reprobātus, see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more. Doublet of reprove.