rascal

noun

ras·​cal ˈra-skəl 

1

: a mean, unprincipled, or dishonest person

2

: a mischievous person or animal

rascal adjective

Synonyms of rascal

• monkey
• devil

Examples of rascal in a Sentence

Which one of you rascals woke me up?

Recent Examples on the Web

In a time when unemployment is on the rise and the rich are running amok and wreaking havoc on the poor — and the social services in place to support them — who doesn’t love the idea of rogue rascals sticking it to a bougie institution by running off with its crown jewels? —Kathleen Newman-Bremang, Refinery29, 12 Nov. 2025

The hilarious hijinks that ensue are centered on a rugby-playing rascal whose initial interests in pulling chicks and working get-rich-quick schemes give way to a lifelong love of writing poetry in the post-Soviet-occupation era of the 1990s. —Courtney Howard, Variety, 30 Oct. 2025

She and some other little rascals are being told a story about the legendary witcher Geralt of Rivia ... except Nimue has some edits to the narrative. —Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025

And Eli was, at times, a bit of a rascal. —David Kamp, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English rascaile, rascaille, borrowed from Anglo-French rascaille, rascail "rabble," from rasc- (perhaps from Old French —Norman and Picard— *rasquer "to scratch, scrape," going back to Vulgar Latin *rāsicāre) + -aille, collective suffix, going back to Latin -ālia — more at rash entry 1, -al entry 2

Note: Though this etymology works semantically (cf., for example, the sense development of English scum, Russian svoloč'), it is unclear if *rasquer is a possible outcome of *rāsicāre in Norman/Picard. Note that the word is exclusively Anglo-Norman in earlier Medieval French (from the twelfth century), from which it appears to have penetrated into other dialects (see Französisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, vol. 10, pp. 88-89).

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

rascal

noun

ras·​cal ˈras-kəl 

1

: a mean or dishonest person

2

: a mischievous person