blackguardly
1
9.9
- adjective
- /ˈblæɡˌɡɑrdli/
- Offensive
- She refused to associate with anyone who acted in such a blackguardly manner.
Examples
-
His blackguardly actions shocked everyone at the meeting.
-
The judge denounced the defendant's blackguardly conduct in his closing remarks.
-
The newspaper condemned the politician's blackguardly behavior during the scandal.
-
She was appalled by his blackguardly behavior during the charity event.
-
His blackguardly behavior shocked everyone at the event when he cheated his friends out of their money.
-
She was appalled by his blackguardly comments about their colleague's work ethic.
-
The blackguardly act of abandoning his family for personal gain left a stain on his character.
Synonyms
1
8.6
Cruel and without pity to others
1
9.1
Dishonest and cruel in ways that hurt others
1
7.0
Dishonest and likely to trick people for money or advantage
Antonyms
How Dishonorable
- Offensive
1
9.9
- Offensive
87
5.7
- US
19
6.0
- Offensive
8
6.6
- Informal
87
5.5
162
3.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
blackguardly = blackguard (transparent) = blackguard + ly
The adjective is formed by adding the productive suffix '-ly' to the noun 'blackguard', yielding the straightforward meaning 'characteristic of a blackguard'.
Etymology
The word blackguardly comes from the older word blackguard, made of black and guard, which originally named servants whose clothes were black with soot from kitchen work. One popular story says this made blackguard mean a low or shameful person, a 'scoundrel', so blackguardly now describes someone who behaves dishonorably.