reprobate

[ rep-ruh-beyt ]

noun

1. a depraved, unprincipled, or wicked person:

   a drunken reprobate.

   Synonyms: cad, rascal, wretch, miscreant, wastrel, scoundrel, tramp, rogue

2. a person rejected by God and beyond hope of salvation.

   Synonyms: pariah, outcast

adjective

1. morally depraved; unprincipled; bad.

   Synonyms: corrupt, evil, sinful, wicked

2. rejected by God and beyond hope of salvation.

verb (used with object)

, rep·ro·bat·ed, rep·ro·bat·ing.

1. to disapprove, condemn, or censure.

   Synonyms: reprove, rebuke, blame, reprehend

2. (of God) to reject (a person), as for sin; exclude from the number of the elect or from salvation.

reprobate

/ ˈrɛprəʊˌbeɪt; ˈrɛprəbəsɪ /

adjective

1. morally unprincipled; depraved
2. Christianity destined or condemned to eternal punishment in hell

noun

1. an unprincipled, depraved, or damned person
2. a disreputable or roguish person

   the old reprobate

verb

1. to disapprove of; condemn
2. (of God) to destine, consign, or condemn to eternal punishment in hell

Derived Forms

• reprobacy, noun
• ˈreproˌbater, noun

Other Words From

• rep·ro·ba·cy [rep, -r, uh, -b, uh, -see], repro·bateness noun
• repro·bater noun
• un·repro·bated adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of reprobate¹

1400–50; late Middle English reprobaten < Latin reprobātus; past participle of reprobāre to reprove

Word History and Origins

Origin of reprobate¹

C16: from Late Latin reprobātus held in disfavour, from Latin re- + probāre to approve ¹

Example Sentences

His effort to lead the league to a more enlightened stance is exactly why a bigot-reprobate like Jon Gruden deemed him a “f----t,” a word sure to rile him.

From Washington Post

I remember calling him an old reprobate and he said 'not so much of the old'.

From The Daily Beast

Afterward, there is rarely satisfaction, just final proof that Johnny Flameout is a reprobate.

From The Daily Beast

The people who were predestined to be lost they described as reprobate, and this word we still use, but with a different meaning.

From Project Gutenberg

A reprobate nowadays is a person who is looked upon as hopelessly bad, and the word is also sometimes used jokingly.

From Project Gutenberg

I know he is a hot-blooded old reprobate—that father of yours.

From Project Gutenberg

What's me or that drunken old reprobate out there to the likes of you?

From Project Gutenberg

That a base reprobate should become a Marquis and a peer of Parliament was in accordance with the constitution of the country.

From Project Gutenberg