Word BookShort entry

Scum

noun/skˈʌm/

Definition

worthless people

a film of impurities or vegetation that can form on the surface of a liquid

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/skˈʌm/

🇬🇧British English

/skˈʌm/

🇮🇳Indian English

/skˈʌm/

1 syllable Say it as /skˈʌm/.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

trash

Parts of Speech

noun	worthless people
noun	a film of impurities or vegetation that can form on the surface of a liquid
verb	remove the scum from

Word Forms

scummy	adjective	covered with scum
scum	verb	remove the scum from
scum	noun	a film of impurities or vegetation that can form on the surface of a liquid

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

Abschaum

wertlose Menschen

🇫🇷French

écume

des gens sans valeur

🇪🇸Spanish

escoria

gente sin valor

🇮🇹Italian

feccia

persone senza valore

🇳🇱Dutch

uitschot

waardeloze mensen

🇵🇹Portuguese

escumalha

pessoas inúteis

🇷🇺Russian

отбросы

бесполезные люди

India

🇮🇳Hindi

मैल

बेकार लोग

🇧🇩Bengali

ময়লা

মূল্যহীন মানুষ

🇮🇳Tamil

அழுக்கு

மதிப்பற்ற மக்கள்

🇮🇳Telugu

ఒట్టు

విలువ లేని వ్యక్తులు

🇮🇳Marathi

घाण

नालायक लोक

🇮🇳Gujarati

મેલ

નકામા લોકો

🇮🇳Kannada

ಕಲ್ಮಶ

ನಿಷ್ಪ್ರಯೋಜಕ ಜನರು

🇮🇳Malayalam

ചെളി

വിലയില്ലാത്ത ആളുകൾ

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਕੂੜ

ਬੇਕਾਰ ਲੋਕ

🇵🇰Urdu

گندگی

بیکار لوگ

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

浮渣

无价值的人

🇯🇵Japanese

スカム

価値のない人々

🇰🇷Korean

찌끼

쓸모없는 사람들

🇻🇳Vietnamese

cặn bã

những người vô giá trị

🇹🇭Thai

ฝา

คนไร้ค่า

🇮🇩Indonesian

sampah

orang-orang yang tidak berharga

🇵🇭Filipino

basura

mga taong walang kwenta

🇲🇾Malay

sampah

orang yang tidak berharga

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

حثالة

الناس لا قيمة لها

🇮🇷Persian

تفاله

افراد بی ارزش

🇹🇷Turkish

pislik

değersiz insanlar

🇮🇱Hebrew

חֶלאַת אָדָם

אנשים חסרי ערך

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'scum'?

The primary meaning of 'scum' is 'worthless people'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'scum' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'scum' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'scum' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'scum' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'scum' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'scum' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'scum' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'scum' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'scum' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'scum' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted

This word is also in the Advanced book — want the full, immersive treatment (age meanings, culture, creative use, deeper Hindi & exercises)? Open the Advanced entry →