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
Liam Hess,
Vogue,
28 June 2026
He is lured by the sound of music down a Montmartre street to Nicholas de Lenfent (Joseph Potter), an old friend from his village who has grown up to be a talented violinist and rakish twink.
—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
22 June 2026
With his rakish sneer and ruthlessly tight jodhpurs, Rupert has been thoroughly neutered with irony, transformed into an object for women to pick at.
—
Sophie Gilbert,
The Atlantic,
10 June 2026
His most famous early picture, of three rakish young farmers walking to a country dance in new hats, stiff suits, and too-big shoes, couldn’t have been a commission.
—
Max Norman,
New Yorker,
21 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for rakish
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Adjective
Watching their relationship devolve (never more so than when their sperm donor, a rakish, motorcycle-driving restaurant owner played by Mark Ruffalo, enters the scene) is most definitely a tear-jerking experience, as is the film’s final scene.
—
Liam Hess,
Vogue,
28 June 2026
He is lured by the sound of music down a Montmartre street to Nicholas de Lenfent (Joseph Potter), an old friend from his village who has grown up to be a talented violinist and rakish twink.
—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
22 June 2026
With his rakish sneer and ruthlessly tight jodhpurs, Rupert has been thoroughly neutered with irony, transformed into an object for women to pick at.
—
Sophie Gilbert,
The Atlantic,
10 June 2026
His most famous early picture, of three rakish young farmers walking to a country dance in new hats, stiff suits, and too-big shoes, couldn’t have been a commission.
—
Max Norman,
New Yorker,
21 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for rakish
Cite this Entry
“Rakish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rakish. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
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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