Is there a single word meaning "a repulsive or loathsome person"?

Question

Does the English language have any words in present use that would be synonymous with the figurative sense of the now obsolete mesel, 'a repulsive or loathsome person'?

I am well aware of the tons of hyponyms (subcategories) of this idea—jerks (repulsively rude people), assholes (repulsively aggressive people), monsters (repulsively violent people), psychos (repulsively dangerous people), sluts (still typically repulsively sexual people despite occassional attempts to find sex less repulsive), letches (repulsively sexually focused people), &c. &c. &c.—but is there anything left that just covers the entire general idea of someone you just instinctively shrink back from?

The original literal sense of mesel was leper, so the figurative sense captured the sense of revulsion at the sight of a person falling apart before your eyes. Present-day leper, though, is more focused on the social shunning that came with that, rather than the revulsion itself. Undesirables comes close but not quite there.

Do we not have a single word for this any more? or what am I forgetting? If there isn't one in standard English, are there dialectical or slang words that would cover this?

Answer 1

This is informal, but you could call such a person a sicko. Cambridge defines it as:

someone who behaves or thinks in a strange and unpleasant, often sexual, way

In more formal speech, you could call them a pariah. Cambridge defines this as:

a person who is not accepted by a social group, especially because they are not liked, respected, or trusted

You could also go with the common insult scum. Merriam-Webster defines it as:

a low, vile, or worthless person or group of people