Dictionary

scurrilous en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ˈskʌɹələs/ (General-American)
• /ˈskʌ.ɹə.ləs/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈskʌ.ɹɪ.ləs/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈskɜɹələs/ (General-American)

Etymology

From Latin scurrīlis (“buffoon-like”) + -ous, from scurra (“a buffoon”).

Meanings

1. Of a person, given to vulgar verbal abuse; foul-mouthed.
2. Of language: ▸ Coarse, vulgar, or abusive.
3. Of language: ▸ Slanderous.
   • 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”. 2022 February 3, Heather Stewart, quoting Munira Mirza, “Boris Johnson’s policy chief quits over PM’s ‘scurrilous’ Savile remark”, in The Guardian:
4. Gross, vulgar.
5. Unscrupulous, evil.
   • "Instead, another dangerous killer now roams our streets, thanks to that scurrilous, sinister super-heel!" 1967, Stan Lee, John Romita Sr, The Amazing Spider-Man #48:
   • "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." 2013, Alex Himelfarb, Jordan Himelfarb, Tax Is Not a Four-Letter Word: A Different Take on Taxes in Canada:
   • We have had our address used by scurrilous crooks in the past to gain assets by fraud.

Forms

Relateds

scurrility · scurrilously · scurrilousness · scurrile

Translations (53)

bg циничен (coarse, vulgar, abusive, or slanderous) · nb vulgær (coarse, vulgar, abusive, or slanderous) · fi rääväsuinen (foul-mouthed) · de vulgär (coarse, vulgar, abusive, or slanderous) · de verunglimpfend (coarse, vulgar, abusive, or slanderous) · nb nederdrektig (foul-mouthed) · de übel (gross, vulgar and evil) · nb plump (coarse, vulgar, abusive, or slanderous) · de ehrenrührig (coarse, vulgar, abusive, or slanderous) · da uanstændig (coarse, vulgar, abusive, or slanderous) · mi ngutu momoho (coarse, vulgar, abusive, or slanderous) · pt obsceno (coarse, vulgar, abusive, or slanderous) · bg неприличен (foul-mouthed) · ru гру́бый (coarse, vulgar, abusive, or slanderous) · ro abuziv (foul-mouthed) · nl grof (coarse, vulgar, abusive, or slanderous) · da grov (foul-mouthed) · de niederträchtig (foul-mouthed) · de obszön (coarse, vulgar, abusive, or slanderous) · ro obscen (foul-mouthed) · de zotig (coarse, vulgar, abusive, or slanderous) · de bösartig (gross, vulgar and evil) · de ordinär (foul-mouthed) · de gemein (foul-mouthed) · bg мръсен (foul-mouthed) · nb sladderaktig (coarse, vulgar, abusive, or slanderous) · de verleumderisch (coarse, vulgar, abusive, or slanderous) · ru гру́бый (foul-mouthed) · nb grov (foul-mouthed) · de widerlich (gross, vulgar and evil) · de niederträchtig (gross, vulgar and evil) · da krænkende (coarse, vulgar, abusive, or slanderous) · de zotig (foul-mouthed) · nl vulgair (coarse, vulgar, abusive, or slanderous) · fi ruokoton (foul-mouthed) · ru ме́рзкий (gross, vulgar and evil) · de gemein (gross, vulgar and evil) · da grov (coarse, vulgar, abusive, or slanderous) · ro injurios (foul-mouthed) · pt obsceno (foul-mouthed) · da sjofel (foul-mouthed) · bg вулгарен (coarse, vulgar, abusive, or slanderous) · la scurrīlis (coarse, vulgar, abusive, or slanderous) · nl grofgebekt (foul-mouthed) · ru непристо́йный (coarse, vulgar, abusive, or slanderous) · fi ruokoton (coarse, vulgar, abusive, or slanderous) · ro ordinar (foul-mouthed) · de pöbelhaft (foul-mouthed) · ru оскорби́тельный (foul-mouthed) · de flegelhaft (foul-mouthed) · de possenreißerisch (foul-mouthed) · mi ngutu momoho (foul-mouthed) · de unflätig (coarse, vulgar, abusive, or slanderous)