1. a person, especially a child, who behaves badly but is not seriously harmful; a rascal
Usage: informal
2. a white Southerner who supported Reconstruction policies after the American Civil War
Usage: historical; often considered derogatory

Examples

• That little scalawag drew on the walls again.
• Don’t be such a scalawag and help your sister with her homework.
• The teacher smiled at the young scalawag’s harmless prank.
• My grandfather was quite the scalawag in his youth.
• Conservative Southerners viewed him as a scalawag for his political stance.
• The term scalawag was used to describe local Republicans during Reconstruction.