as in corrupt
having or showing lowered moral character or standards
within a few short years their rakish son had squandered the family fortune on hard liquor and fast cars
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rakish
The guiding thread across her work has been intimacy and elegance: like Home, her welcome reimagining of a contemporary art space which ran until 2023; her heartfelt personal photography; and Selasi’s sensual dresses and rakish tailoring in sumptuous, earth tones.
—
Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 30 July 2025
Most models bounced around in random directions, leaving rakish tufts of long grass poking up in places where chance hadn't pointed the mower yet.
—Loz Blain
july 24, New Atlas, 24 July 2025
He is shorn of his rakish mustache, and a scruffy isthmus sprouts at the crown of his receding hairline.
—Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 14 July 2025
With law enforcement on their tail, Thelma and Louise contend with fascinating characters (including a thoroughly rakish drifter played by Brad Pitt), misogynistic biases, and their own impending fates.
—Sophie Van Bastelaer, EW.com, 7 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for rakish
Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 30 July 2025
Most models bounced around in random directions, leaving rakish tufts of long grass poking up in places where chance hadn't pointed the mower yet.
—Loz Blain
july 24, New Atlas, 24 July 2025
He is shorn of his rakish mustache, and a scruffy isthmus sprouts at the crown of his receding hairline.
—Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 14 July 2025
With law enforcement on their tail, Thelma and Louise contend with fascinating characters (including a thoroughly rakish drifter played by Brad Pitt), misogynistic biases, and their own impending fates.
—Sophie Van Bastelaer, EW.com, 7 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for rakish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rakish
Adjective
-
Our institutions are failing us — either corrupt or underfunded, gutted and useless — and we’re absorbed with stories of characters that manage to save themselves, and on their own terms.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
28 Sep. 2025
-
That failure was on corrupt leadership.—
Emma Marsden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Under her leadership, the NYBG’s research team has expanded to 81 projects across 79 countries to conserve disappearing plant species, restore degraded ecosystems, and breed crops to withstand drought, sea level rise and extreme heat under climate change.—
Eduardo Garcia,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Smoke will also lead to degraded air quality.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Today’s over-85 cohort may also be frailer and sicker than the oldest-old were 30 years ago, Gill added, because contemporary medicine can keep people alive longer.—
Paula Span,
Miami Herald,
25 Sep. 2025
-
Officials don't recommend consuming any meat from animals that are visibly sick, but healthy deer harvested from areas where EHD has been present are still safe to eat, the DNR says.—
Jalen Williams,
Freep.com,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The extravagant, dissolute life Prince Albert II of Monaco continues to bolster arguments of those who think that hereditary monarchies should not be allowed to exist in the 21st century.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
18 June 2025
-
Nick, a prequel to the original, offers us Carraway’s backstory as a soldier in World War I and a wanderer trying to find his way in a dissolute world.—
Danielle Teller,
People.com,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Holmes' take on her grand entrance as Joey Potter got big laughs, with the actress immediately crossing her arms, slouching her shoulders and making a crooked face.—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
23 Sep. 2025
-
The family had no money for doctors, and the arm healed crooked, forever limiting his reach and range of motion.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Renowned interior designer Martin Brudnizki's maximalist design aesthetic includes playful glass chandeliers, floral wallpaper, and decadent velvet couches.—
Maya Kachroo-Levine,
Travel + Leisure,
27 Sep. 2025
-
The curry veggie patty is a decadent vegetarian option.—
Marc Williams,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
26 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rakish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rakish. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share