1
: having a trim or streamlined appearance suggestive of speed
a rakish ship
2
: dashingly or carelessly unconventional : jaunty
rakish clothes
Examples of rakish in a Sentence
Adjective (1)
within a few short years their rakish son had squandered the family fortune on hard liquor and fast cars
Recent Examples on the Web
Matthew MacConnell, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
Like the rakish characters in La Piscine, those in Last Summer are caught in a folie à plusieurs, where the idyllic, island setting seems to arouse their worst impulses.
—Erik Morse, Vogue, 26 June 2025
Louvers in the rakish glass hatch instantly recall the classic split-window Sting Ray of 1963, the one-year-only styling created by GM designer Larry Shinoda, the son of Japanese immigrants.
—Lawrence Ulrich, Robb Report, 25 June 2025
However, larger dogs will struggle for headroom because of the BYD Sealion 7’s rakish roofline.
—Matthew MacConnell, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
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Adjective
There was also plenty of head and legroom up front, and the steering wheel offered plenty of reach, but backseat passengers north of six feet struggled for space because of the HR-V’s rakish roofline.
—Matthew MacConnell, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
Like the rakish characters in La Piscine, those in Last Summer are caught in a folie à plusieurs, where the idyllic, island setting seems to arouse their worst impulses.
—Erik Morse, Vogue, 26 June 2025
Louvers in the rakish glass hatch instantly recall the classic split-window Sting Ray of 1963, the one-year-only styling created by GM designer Larry Shinoda, the son of Japanese immigrants.
—Lawrence Ulrich, Robb Report, 25 June 2025
However, larger dogs will struggle for headroom because of the BYD Sealion 7’s rakish roofline.
—Matthew MacConnell, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rakish
Cite this Entry
“Rakish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rakish. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
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Etymology
Adjective
from rake "libertine"
Adjective
from earlier rake "the amount of slope or lean of a ship's mast or the amount of overhang of a ship's bow"
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