Word of the Week: miscreant (MĬS-krē-ənt)

Definition

(Noun) A villain, scoundrel; a rebel, criminal, or felon. Now frequently in weakened sense: a minor offender, reprobate.

In Context

“Inevitably, the town’s lone sheriff was going to find a miscreant breaking the speed limit and pulled me over for a full license check – only to discover that I was one of those dreaded reporters, speeding to catch up with the town’s most famous citizen.”

Andrea Mitchell, Talking Back . . . To Presidents, Dictators, and Assorted Scoundrels, 2005.