Arrant

/ˈær.ənt/

Meaning & Definition

adjective

Complete and utter; used for emphasis.

His behavior was arrant nonsense, lacking any sense of reason.

Absolutely bad; notoriously bad.

The movie was an arrant failure, receiving negative reviews from all critics.

Unqualified; downright.

She was accused of being an arrant liar, as she repeatedly told falsehoods.

Of the worst kind; egregious.

The proposal was deemed an arrant threat to the community, sparking widespread outrage.

Middle English, from Old French 'arrant' meaning 'present, in attendance.'

arrant nonsense:

Utterly foolish or nonsensical behavior or ideas.

arrant scoundrel:

A person who is completely dishonest or unscrupulous.

A term to describe someone who is shamelessly bad or deceiving.

Don't trust them; they're just a pack of arrants.