scurrilous
English
Etymology
From Latin scurrīlis (“buffoon-like”), from scurra (“a buffoon”). Doublet of scurrile.
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈskʌ.ɹə.ləs/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈskɜɹələs/, /ˈskʌɹələs/
Adjective
scurrilous (comparative more scurrilous, superlative most scurrilous)
- (of a person) Given to vulgar verbal abuse; foul-mouthed.
- (of language) Coarse, vulgar, abusive, or slanderous.
- 2022 February 3, Heather Stewart, quoting Munira Mirza, “Boris Johnson’s policy chief quits over PM’s ‘scurrilous’ Savile remark”, in The Guardian:
- She said Johnson was “a better man than many of your detractors will ever understand”, adding that it was “so desperately sad that you let yourself down by making a scurrilous accusation against the leader of the opposition”.
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- Gross, vulgar and evil.
- We have had our address used by scurrilous crooks in the past to gain assets by fraud.
- 2013, Alex Himelfarb, Jordan Himelfarb, Tax Is Not a Four-Letter Word: A Different Take on Taxes in Canada
- "Some days, I try to imagine how scurrilous it would be for a left-leaning government in Canada to embark on such a costly political agenda for, say, a 10-year period, and still find itself unable to convince Canadians that the majority have benefited from this."
Related terms
- scurrile
- scurrilously
- scurrilousness
- scurrility
Translations
foul-mouthed
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coarse, vulgar, abusive, or slanderous
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gross, vulgar and evil
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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Further reading
- scurrilous in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- scurrilous in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911
- scurrilous at OneLook Dictionary Search