noun, slang ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A disreputable fellow, a good-for-nothing, a scapegrace, a blackguard UK, dated, derogatory
2. 2
   one who is playfully mischievous wordnet
3. 3
   A badly behaved person, especially a child; a mischief-maker; a rascal UK, informal

   "But Maore, a cheerful scallywag with a taste for the limelight, was made of more daring stuff."

4. 4
   a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel wordnet
5. 5
   a white Southerner who supported Reconstruction policies after the American Civil War (usually for self-interest) wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

fiendimpimpknavemonkeyrapscallion

Example

More examples

"Tom was such a scallywag as a kid."

Etymology

Unknown.

Related phrases

good for nothing

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.