✨📕 The NEW Collegiate Dictionary, 12th Edition Over 5,000 words added — Learn More!
✨📕 The NEW Collegiate Dictionary — Learn More!

blackguard

1 of 2

noun

black·​guard ˈbla-gərd How to pronounce blackguard (audio)
-ˌgärd;
ˈblak-ˌgärd
Synonyms of blackguardnext
1
obsolete : the kitchen servants of a household
2
a
: a rude or unscrupulous person
b
: a person who uses foul or abusive language
blackguardism
ˈbla-gər-ˌdi-zəm How to pronounce blackguard (audio)
-ˌgär-
noun
blackguardly
ˈbla-gərd-lē How to pronounce blackguard (audio)
-ˌgärd-
adjective or adverb

blackguard

2 of 2

verb

blackguarded; blackguarding; blackguards

transitive verb

: to talk about or address in abusive terms

Examples of blackguard in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Butterscotch, blackguard, three brass saddles, single coils and a plank of a body with basically zero regard given to ergonomics. — New Atlas, 15 Oct. 2024 Edgar finds work in the hamlet of Dreng’s Ferry with Dreng himself, an all-around blackguard, but eventually Edgar’s intelligence and capability propel him into the building trade. — Washington Post, 17 Nov. 2020 The endurance of nationalism proves that there’s never any shortage of blackguards willing to prop up people’s sense of themselves and their destiny with a tissue of myths and prophecies, prejudices and hatreds, or to empty out old rubbish bags full of festering resentments and calls to violence. — Jill Lepore, Foreign Affairs, 5 Feb. 2019 Despite all the worry about Fukushima, smokers have been inhaling radioactive particles for decadesNicotine - murder weapon of choice for the 19th century blackguard, by Deborah Blum. — Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 26 May 2012

Word History

Etymology

Noun

black entry 1 + guard entry 1

Verb

derivative of blackguard entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1535, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1742, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of blackguard was in 1535

Rhymes for blackguard

See All Rhymes for blackguard

Browse Nearby Words

black grunt
blackguard
blackguardery
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Blackguard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blackguard. Accessed 30 Dec. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

blackguard

noun
black·​guard
ˈblag-ərd, 
-ˌärd;
ˈblak-ˌgärd
: a rude or dishonest person
blackguardly
-lē
adjective or adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on blackguard

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for blackguard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Top Lookups
  • 1
    existential
  • 2
    happy
  • 3
    enigma
  • 4
    culture
  • 5
    didactic
  • 6
    pedantic
  • 7
    love

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of charisma

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Buck Naked' or 'Butt Naked'?

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

What’s the difference between ‘cemetery’ and ‘graveyard’?

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ten Kinds of Happiness

Words That Turned 100 in 2025

The Words of the Week - Dec. 26

17 Words for Dog Breeds

Birds Say the Darndest Things
See More

Popular

See More

'Buck Naked' or 'Butt Naked'?

Ten Kinds of Happiness

Words That Turned 100 in 2025
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
thank-you-different-languages
Dutch, Yiddish, Japanese, or Hindi? Quiz Guess the language these English words come from.
See All