blackguard

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˈblæɡɑrd/ UK /ˈblæɡɑːd/ See IPA manual

noun verb

Meanings

1

noun
an unprincipled, contemptible scoundrel

The blackguard cheated widows out of their savings.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · an unprincipled,... scoundrel villain rogue rascal knave cur wretch

Opposites

gentleman saint

Word family

Derived forms blackguardly blackguardism

Related forms black guard

Etymology

Originally a compound of black + guard, said to denote the lowest menials of a household (the 'black guard' of kitchen-knaves); it came to mean a low, contemptible person.

blæc Old English garde Old French

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# blackguard

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** ˈblæɡɑrd
**IPA (UK):** ˈblæɡɑːd

## Meanings
1. an unprincipled, contemptible scoundrel

## Examples
- The blackguard cheated widows out of their savings.

## Synonyms
- scoundrel
- villain
- rogue
- rascal
- knave
- cur
- wretch

## Antonyms
- gentleman
- saint

## Derived Forms
- blackguardly
- blackguardism

## Related Forms
- black
- guard

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: blæc
- Root: garde

## Etymology
Originally a compound of black + guard, said to denote the lowest menials of a household (the 'black guard' of kitchen-knaves); it came to mean a low, contemptible person.

## AI Etymology
Blackguard is originally a compound of black + guard, said to denote the lowest menials of a household (the 'black guard' of kitchen-knaves); it came to mean a low, contemptible person. Important recorded forms include blæc (Old English) and garde (Old French). Morphologically, the word is a built form whose named elements carry part of the historical sense. The current sense covers an unprincipled, contemptible scoundrel. The wider family includes derived forms such as blackguardly and blackguardism and related words such as black and guard.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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blackguard

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