miscreant
/ˈmɪs.kɹi.ənt/adjective, noun
miscreant is spelled M-I-S-C-R-E-A-N-T: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 79,518th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, miscreant means “Lacking in conscience or moral principles; unscrupulous” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in miscreant?
| Letters | 9: M-I-S-C-R-E-A-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 7 million words; the 79,518th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is miscreant?
Miscreant appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 79,518th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce miscreant?
- US /ˈmɪs.kɹi.ənt/
Miscreant has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-miscreant.ogg, En-au-miscreant.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of miscreant
- more miscreant comparative
- most miscreant superlative
- miscreants plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does miscreant mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Lacking in conscience or moral principles; unscrupulous.
- 2
Holding an incorrect religious belief.
noun
- 1
One who has behaved badly, or illegally.
The teacher sent the miscreants to see the school principal.
- 2
One not restrained by moral principles; an unscrupulous villain.
- 3
One who holds a false religious belief; a misbeliever.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Miscreant in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | gewissenloser Mensch, Übeltäter, Schurke , Ungläubiger, Ketzer , Missetäter |
| French | mécréant , mécréante, parpaillot, parpaillote |
| Spanish | facineroso |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does miscreant come from?
From Middle English myscreaunt, miscreaunt, from Old French mescreant (1080) "mis-believer", present participle of mescreire "to misbelieve" (modern mécroire). Cognate with French mécréant.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).