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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of raffish
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
But his hopes had been stirred up watching leading men in Hindi matinees: a grandiose Dilip Kumar in Naya Daur, a raffish Mithun Chakraborty in Mrigayaa.
—Hazlitt, 28 Apr. 2022
See All Example Sentences for raffish
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
But his hopes had been stirred up watching leading men in Hindi matinees: a grandiose Dilip Kumar in Naya Daur, a raffish Mithun Chakraborty in Mrigayaa.
—Hazlitt, 28 Apr. 2022
See All Example Sentences for raffish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for raffish
Adjective
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The service There’s nothing as crass as a check-in desk here.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
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In fact, the very term anti-Semitism was popularized by Wilhelm Marr, a German nationalist who sought to distinguish his anti-Jewish ideology from the crass bigotry of the common folk by dressing his hate up in pseudoscientific terms.—
Yair Rosenberg,
The Atlantic,
31 May 2026
Adjective
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Her husband says that's a very vulgar pet.—
Danielle Parker,
CBS News,
28 May 2026
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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s biographer Andrew Lownie shared a vulgar pickup line that the former prince allegedly used while trying to pick up women.—
Rachel Burchfield,
InStyle,
28 May 2026
Adjective
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The biggest accidental romance killer was being rude to staff, selected by 15% of respondents.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
27 May 2026
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Junior employees using the same tone may be judged as rude or disengaged.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
Adjective
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The global public square has been getting coarser for years, and social media has played a big part in the deterioration.—
Bobby Ghosh,
Time,
1 June 2026
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Add Fresh Mulch Mulch with a coarse or sharp texture—such as large wood chips—can irritate a snake's belly scales.—
Michelle Mastro,
Martha Stewart,
31 May 2026
Adjective
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In 1863, representatives of football clubs from the larger London area met to discuss the formation of a football association and a common set of rules.—
Thomas Adam,
The Conversation,
29 May 2026
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Fires are common at Kenyan schools, with many set by students protesting harsh discipline and poor conditions, researchers have found.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Raffish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/raffish. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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