as in villain
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person
upon entering the store, I was beset by a caitiff in the guise of a salesman set on separating me from my money
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for caitiff
Noun
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The film is currently filming in London with Joe and Anthony Russo, the directors behind the highest-grossing MCU movies ever, back behind the camera; Downey now playing the chief villain; and a slew of stars from the lost era of Fox's X-Men movies reprising their roles for the first time in years.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
24 July 2025 -
In 1994, Hogan joined WCW and reinvented himself as a villain, forming the New World Order (nWo) and ushering in a new era of edgy storytelling.—
Hannah Parry
Amanda Castro
Joshua Rhett Miller,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 July 2025
Noun
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King's polo playing husband, Bill Mitchell — who went on to become a director for Texaco — became the model for Daisy’s rich brute of a husband, Tom Buchanan.—
Jordan Runtagh,
People.com,
5 June 2025
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This freshly re-imagined Jag is worlds apart from that old German brute, but was similar in the sense of feeling wonderfully light and responsive, and utilizing hydraulic fluid to power its steering.—
Peter Nelson,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2025
Noun
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Often regarded by historians as a collection of savage tribes, the Scythians emerge as a pivotal force of the ancient world in this monumental history.—
The New Yorker,
The New Yorker,
30 Jan. 2023
-
Nearly 32 years ago, Rodney King’s savage beating by police in Los Angeles prompted heartfelt calls for change.—
Aaron Morrison, Claudia Lauer and Adrian Sainz,
Anchorage Daily News,
29 Jan. 2023
Noun
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The two-day family-friendly affair has a lineup of exciting events, including a chili cook-off and a monster lake plunge, plus the chance to try your hand at cross-country skiing, tubing, or snowmobiling at Beaver Creek Lodge in Garden City.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
13 July 2025
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The enormous bones and monster jaws, the ridged backs and barbed tails.—
Clare Sestanovich,
New Yorker,
13 July 2025
Noun
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In his mug shot, Anton bears little resemblance to the handsome devil from the earlier composite image.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
14 July 2025
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To play devil’s advocate to myself, though, this time around the contestants have air conditioning, which might have been a deal-breaker in order to get any contestants from The Golden Bachelor/ette there.—
Jessica Radloff,
Glamour,
8 July 2025
Noun
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Since then, he’s been a haunted wretch of a character: stoned, sullen, stuck with recurring visions of shooting his wife and himself.—
Sophie Gilbert,
The Atlantic,
8 Apr. 2025
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The unfortunate wretch makes an exciting escape, killing her captor in the process.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
18 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Betty Ann Tomlinson, 50, was charged Thursday afternoon with arson, conspiracy to commit arson and assisting a criminal.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
12 July 2025
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By Emily Bazelon and Mattathias Schwartz Trump’s claim that Venezuelan criminals took over Aurora, Colorado, became a rationale for his immigration crackdown.—
Mattathias Schwartz Ted Conover M.H. Miller Lulu Garcia-Navarro Jake Nevins Simon Wu Kwame Anthony Appiah Kwame Anthony Appiah Eric Kim John Hodgman,
New York Times,
11 July 2025
Noun
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How does history distinguish knaves from legendary figures?—
W.E. Gutman,
Sun Sentinel,
8 July 2025
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Implications Le Grand's work on post-World War II British social policy found that perceptions of human motivations gradually transformed, with the prevailing view of the typical British citizenry morphing from knight into knave as the costs of maintaining an expensive welfare state increased.—
Sachin H. Jain,
Forbes,
20 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Caitiff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/caitiff. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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