people who behave badly or illegally; troublemakers or villains.
From Old French 'mescreant' (unbeliever). From 'mes-' (mis-) and 'creant' (believing). Originally meant 'non-believer' but evolved to mean 'morally bad person.'
The word 'miscreant' originally meant someone with the 'wrong' religious beliefs—showing how words that start as religious labels become general insults when we want to condemn behavior.
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