as in crass
lacking in refinement or good taste
the dowager cringed at the thought of raffish tourists in rough boots tromping all over her Persian rugs
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Recent Examples of raffish
The banal village tunes that Mahler altered into sinister mock vulgarities—did these not recall the raffish klezmer bands, the wandering musicians who played at shtetl weddings?
—
David Denby, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2025
There’s an over-the-top and overdressed fish out of water (me), a raffish Englishmen homesick for Great Britain (my husband Aidan, who will be mortified to read any of this), and an ensemble of quirky characters.
—Mosha Lundström Halbert, Vogue, 20 Dec. 2024
The sun was setting, leaving a band of neon orange clinging to the horizon; around us, raffish cliques sipped esoteric cocktails, shared platters of roast chicken, flitted between languages, and seemed, to my eyes, immune to worldly stress.
—David Amsden, Travel + Leisure, 14 May 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for raffish
David Denby, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2025
There’s an over-the-top and overdressed fish out of water (me), a raffish Englishmen homesick for Great Britain (my husband Aidan, who will be mortified to read any of this), and an ensemble of quirky characters.
—Mosha Lundström Halbert, Vogue, 20 Dec. 2024
The sun was setting, leaving a band of neon orange clinging to the horizon; around us, raffish cliques sipped esoteric cocktails, shared platters of roast chicken, flitted between languages, and seemed, to my eyes, immune to worldly stress.
—David Amsden, Travel + Leisure, 14 May 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for raffish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for raffish
Adjective
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With the games having kicked off, the sport has shown its ineffable power to supplant crass and capitalistic overreach.—
Emily Olsen,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
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Boys and young men have always enjoyed the crassest of humor.—
Donie O'Sullivan,
CNN Money,
6 June 2026
Adjective
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In recent years, Trae Young has repeatedly tormented the Knicks at the famed Madison Square Garden, turning clutch shots and postgame showmanship into vulgar chants from New York fans.—
Chantz Martin OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
17 June 2026
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This isn’t about the vulgar prices now being charged to get into the building and Celebrity Row.—
Mike Lupica,
New York Daily News,
13 June 2026
Adjective
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It’s widely considered rude and annoying when people cluster by the train doors if there are more people on the platform attempting to get on.—
Claudia Fisher,
Travel + Leisure,
15 June 2026
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Many of these terms were meant as insults and were – and remain today – tremendously rude, but others reflect the bewilderment of trying to categorize people who don’t fit into standard categories easily.—
Ky Merkley,
The Conversation,
15 June 2026
Adjective
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Coffee is made with a coarser grind, and the water flows through those beans under less force.—
Karla Walsh,
Better Homes & Gardens,
16 June 2026
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In the Age of Sail, sailors also scoured the wooden decks with coarse sea sand and holystones – large, rectangular blocks of sandstone – to remove grim, spilled tar and rope fibers.—
Peter Suciu,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Adjective
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The most common way to enrich uranium is by spinning uranium gas in a centrifuge, where lighter U-235 separates from the heavier U-238.—
Adithi Ramakrishnan,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2026
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The most common reason was to make more money.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
20 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Raffish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/raffish. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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