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skell

skell

6 9.9
An insulting slang word for a person who lives on the street and seems bad or dishonest
  • noun
  • /skɛl/
  • Offensive
translation icon : vagabundo
  • She warned her friends about the skell they saw sleeping on the bench in the park.
  • two skells

Examples

  • Don't let that skell hang around your shop; he's made a reputation for causing trouble.

  • All I'm sayin', Skell, is I want folks to respect me.

  • You're the skell that broke into the evidence room.

  • "Sachs is our campus skell, has been for a decade.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • You think I'm an immoral skell who cheats on his wife?

  • On my answering machine were messages from Edwin Sandler, a remarkably rich antique toy collector, and Oscar Klackman, a minor skell and forger.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • In the city, it can be tough to avoid a skell asking for change on every corner.

Synonyms

skunk
vsskell
  • Offensive
16 8.1

A person who behaves badly and cannot be trusted

refers more to someone socially disreputable or homeless in urban settings
skee
vsskell
  • Offensive
3 9.9

A person who seems untrustworthy and suspicious

focuses on social status and disrepute rather than mere suspicion
skunkhead
vsskell
  • Offensive
1 9.9

An unpleasant or foolish person said as an insult

emphasizes social disrepute or homelessness rather than foolish personal faults

Antonyms

114 3.0

Seen by people as good and socially acceptable

How Respectable

respectable
114 3.0
skell
  • Offensive
6 9.9
vagrant
25 7.7

Surface Forms

skell singular
skells plural

Etymology

Skell is American slang with no clear origin, but a helpful way to remember it is to think of skeleton, which brings to mind a thin, rough figure on the street. So skell is used as an 'insult' for a 'homeless' or disreputable person.