miscreant
noun

- someone who behaves badly or does not obey rules

- a person who has done something wrong or unlawful

Cambridge Dictionary, Oxford English Dictionary

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WORD ORIGIN

The etymology of "miscreant" comes to English from Old French mescreant, which means "unbeliever" or "infidel”. This French term developed from two parts:

The prefix mes- (meaning "badly" or "wrongly"), which derives from Latin minus meaning "less”, “and creant, which comes from Latin credere meaning "to believe”.

So etymologically, a "miscreant" was literally someone who "believes wrongly" or "misbelieves" - originally referring to someone who didn't adhere to the Christian faith or held heretical religious views.

Over time, the meaning shifted from religious nonconformity to more general moral failings. By the 14th century, it had started to take on the meaning of "villain" or "criminal," as religious deviancy and moral corruption were often conflated in medieval thought.

The evolution from "person of incorrect religious belief" to "evildoer" or "criminal" reflects how religious orthodoxy and moral behaviour were closely linked in Western European societies throughout much of history.

Today, we use "miscreant" to refer to a wrongdoer or troublemaker, with the religious connotations having largely disappeared from common usage. In short: from “bad believer” to “bad actor.”

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WHY DO MISCREANTS MISBEHAVE?

- Impaired empathy: Miscreants often show a reduced ability to understand or care about others’ feelings, leading to self-centered or antisocial actions.

- Poor impulse control: They may act out in anger or frustration, reacting disproportionately to minor provocations and struggling to regulate emotions.

- Moral disengagement: Miscreants tend to justify unethical actions, especially when they feel psychologically close to others who behave similarly.

- Distorted judgment: Their decision-making can be clouded by anger, a sense of invulnerability, or magical thinking, making them prone to self-destructive or risky behaviour.

- Rebellion and defiance: Especially in youth, miscreants may rebel against authority or social norms, sometimes as a reaction to criticism or trauma.

- Insensitivity to consequences: Some display traits of antisocial personality disorder, disregarding right and wrong and the rights of others.

These traits often combine to produce behaviours society labels as “miscreant,” ranging from minor rule-breaking to more serious antisocial acts.

Paul & Helga Smith

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SYNONYMS



backslider, bad actor, bad apple, bad egg, bad guy, bad penny, baddie, baddy, bandit, barbarian, black sheep, blackguard, blaggard, brigand, bruiser, cad, caitiff, criminal, crook, culprit, cutthroat, degenerate, delinquent, desperado, deviant, evildoer, felon, good-for-nothing, hellion, hellraiser, hoodlum, hooligan, ill-doer, juvenile delinquent, knave, lawbreaker, lowlife, malcontent, malefactor, malfeasant, malicious person, meanie, meany, menace, misbehaver, mischief-maker, MISCREANT, ne’er-do-well, never-do-well, no-good, offender, perpetrator, public enemy, punk, rapscallion, rascal, reprobate, rogue, rowdy, ruffian, rule-breaker, saboteur, scalawag, scallywag, scamp, scapegrace, scofflaw, scoundrel, transgressor, trickster, troublemaker, urchin, varlet, villain, wrongdoer

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