raffish

adjective

raff·​ish ˈra-fish How to pronounce raffish (audio)
1
: marked by or suggestive of flashy vulgarity or crudeness
2
: marked by a careless unconventionality : rakish
raffishly adverb
raffishness noun

Did you know?

Raffish sounds like it should mean "resembling raff." But what is raff? Originally, "raff" was a word meaning "rubbish"; it derived from Middle English "raf," and it was being used for trash and refuse back in the 1400s. Around a century later, English speakers were also using the word riffraff to mean "disreputable characters" or "rabble." The origins of "riffraff" are distinct from the "rubbish" sense of "raff"; "riffraff" derived from an Anglo-French phrase meaning "one and all." By the mid-1500s, the similarities between "raff" and "riffraff" had prompted people to start using the two words as synonyms, and "raff" gained a "rabble" sense. It was that ragtag "raff" that gave rise to the adjective "raffish" in the late 1700s.

Examples of raffish in a Sentence

the dowager cringed at the thought of raffish tourists in rough boots tromping all over her Persian rugs
Recent Examples on the Web The present headquarters of the Andy Warhol Factory are, despite the raffish image, surprisingly elegant and ordered: typewriters click, business machines whir, telephones ring and are answered by trim and efficient secretaries. Stephen Birmingham, Town & Country, 10 Aug. 2023 Although Clodagh ignores the warnings of the General’s raffish agent Mr. Dean (Alessandro Nivola), isolation and illness soon take their toll, with the haunting atmosphere of the palace particularly affecting volatile Sister Ruth (Aisling Franciosi). Clark Collis, EW.com, 21 Sep. 2020 But his hopes had been stirred up watching leading men in Hindi matinees: a grandiose Dilip Kumar in Naya Daur, a raffish Mithun Chakraborty in Mrigayaa. Hazlitt, 28 Apr. 2022 Indeed, weren’t these childish fantasies of escape, these raffish homages to crime flicks, already passé when the film was made five decades ago? Hazlitt, 2 Dec. 2022 Basking in the afternoon sunshine, cherry-red metallic paint glinting off its fulsome curves, the Caton exudes a raffish retro glamor. Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 9 Dec. 2022 His writing earned honors and recognition, yet nothing like Mr. Amis’s raffish stardom. Brenda Cronin, WSJ, 28 Oct. 2022 Jonathan Majors cements his status as charismatic leading man as the raffish outlaw on a quest to hunt down those responsible for his requisite personal tragedy. Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 5 Aug. 2022 Stevens begins his account with an introduction to his ancestors, all of whom were show people in the gloriously raffish tradition. Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 17 June 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'raffish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1795, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of raffish was in 1795

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Dictionary Entries Near raffish

Cite this Entry

“Raffish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/raffish. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

raffish

adjective
raff·​ish ˈraf-ish How to pronounce raffish (audio)
1
: vulgarly crude or flashy
raffish language
2
: careless about moral behavior : disreputable
raffishly adverb
raffishness noun

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