scofflaw
scofflaw Lexical Profile
scofflaw Game Scores & Validity
• noun
North American A person who flouts or habitually disobeys the law, especially minor or difficult-to-enforce regulations such as traffic and parking ordinances.
"The city council introduced wheel clamps to deter habitual parking scofflaws who had accumulated dozens of unpaid fines."
Word Nuance & Usage
Unlike 'criminal' or 'felon', 'scofflaw' specifically refers to someone who habitually ignores minor or hard-to-enforce regulations—such as parking tickets, tax deadlines, or littering ordinances—rather than committing violent or major crimes.
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in 1924 during the Prohibition era by Henry Irving Dale and Kate L. Butler, the two winning contestants in a national competition sponsored by philanthropist Delcevare King to invent a disparaging term for people who flouted laws against drinking alcohol.