Meaning & use
scrofulous
Morally corrupt or sordid in a way that suggests disease or decay.
See it in a sentence
The novel is filled with scrofulous characters scheming in the city's back alleys.
Critics described the political scandal as a scrofulous chapter in the city's history.
A note on using this word
Scrofulous originally described the disease scrofula, a swelling of the lymph glands, and later took on a figurative sense of moral filth.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
wholesomeupright
Another way to use it
2. adjective
Affected with scrofula, a disease causing chronic swelling of the lymph glands.
Historical records describe several scrofulous patients treated at the old hospital.
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