varmints

noun

plural of varmint
as in bastards
a person whose behavior is offensive to others a seedy saloon that attracts the most low-down, dirty varmints in town

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of varmints With the right rifle, a 25 Creedmoor shooter has the ultimate combo rig for deer, varmints, and long-range target shooting. — John B. Snow, Outdoor Life, 24 Sep. 2026 Moreover, the official mascots succeed in spotting various varmints — foxes and possums, to be specific, but thankfully, no vultures. — Ed Silverman, STAT, 16 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for varmints
  1. dogs
  2. skunks
  3. jerks
  4. clowns
  5. vermin
  6. snakes
  7. rats
Noun
  • Staff often greet regulars – and their dogs – by name with a warm question about their day.
    — Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Cadaver dogs also alerted to the scent of a corpse in the vehicle.
    — Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of dogs
Noun
  • Officials say the last animal confirmed to have rabies that wasn’t a bat was a skunk infected with the bat strain of rabies in Long Beach in 2014.
    — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026
  • And coyotes regulate populations of mesocarnivores like skunks and raccoons, helping support the survival of ground-nesting birds.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of skunks
Noun
  • Lee and his Burning co-writer Oh Jung-mi resist what might have been the first instinct of many filmmakers by refusing to make Ye-ji and Sang-woo overly patronizing rich jerks.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The Ars OpenForum is a place for readers to ask questions, compare notes, argue (without being jerks to each other), and go down all sorts of rabbit holes.
    — Eric Bangeman, ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of jerks
Noun
  • Many Orlando-area homes feature skeletons that tower over the neighborhood, witchy covens, horror movie icons, clowns, pirate ships, pumpkins, zombies and vampires.
    — Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Friday, Edith, and the maintenance bots are sometimes goofy comic-relief clowns.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of clowns
Noun
  • Funky smells and active vermin were among the reasons seven Miami-Dade and Broward restaurants found themselves on this week’s Sick and Shut Down List of restaurants failing state inspection.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The physical conditions are so bad that cells are infested with mold and vermin, the letter said.
    — Jessica Ryan, AJC.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of vermin
Noun
  • Ingratitude is indeed sharper than a serpent’s tooth, and McBride isn’t wrong, but since when has Hollywood not been a pit of snakes?
    — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
  • To do this, the team of researchers used fossils and knowledge of mosasaurs' most recent living relatives – snakes and lizards like the komodo dragon – to recreate the hunting behavior of mosasaurs.
    — October 16, NPR, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of snakes
Noun
  • New research has also shown that reducing another signaling chemical, norepinephrine, in certain brain regions can decrease rats’ ability to learn from situations where expected rewards are less available.
    — Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • People who live along the interstate in Ferndale say the road work has caused rats to flood into their neighborhoods.
    — Julia Avant, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of rats

Browse Nearby Words

varmint
varmints
varnish
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Cite this Entry

“Varmints.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/varmints. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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