shyster
Meanings
Plural: shysters
Noun
- a person (especially a lawyer or politician) who uses unscrupulous or unethical methods
- Someone who acts in a disreputable, unethical, or unscrupulous way, especially in the practice of law and politics.
Verb
- To act in a disreputable, unethical, or unscrupulous way, especially in the practice of law and politics.
- To exploit (someone or something) in this way.
Origin / Etymology
US origin, 19th century. The etymology of the word is not generally agreed upon. The Oxford English Dictionary describes it as "of obscure origin," possibly deriving from a historical sense of shy meaning "disreputable", equivalent to shy + -ster. Other sources suggest the word derives from the German Scheißer (“incompetent worthless person”), from scheißen (“to defecate”), probably influenced by -ster. Not related to shylock.
Synonyms
Scrabble Score: 13
shyster is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL wordshyster is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
shyster is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary
Words With Friends Score: 11
shyster is a valid Words With Friends word