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
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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Right now in America, when our discourse has gotten so crass and mean-spirited that to show the underlying kindness of this show is really resonating.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
30 Mar. 2026
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The beloved slapstick comedy is 85 minutes of pure entertainment, full of increasingly chaotic adventures and shockingly crass jokes that still produce guffaws decades later.—
Rachel Simon,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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One day, Dahlstrom made a vulgar joke in a lunchroom referencing oral sex and pubic hair, according to the employee.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
4 Apr. 2026
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Doncic claimed Bitadze directed a vulgar comment about Doncic’s family in Serbian toward the Lakers star guard.—
Broderick Turner,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Rain, April’s rude house guest, visits erratically and unannounced.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
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Some lawyers think a video shows a Texas judge being rude to an IT worker.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The nation and the world have long since become accustomed to Trump’s loutish behavior, coarse vocabulary and disrespect for the dignity of his office and America’s reputation.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
8 Apr. 2026
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Didier—tall, blondish, and well fed—took a black iron pan having fairly high, curving sides, set it near the edge of the hot, flat metal cooktop, filled it halfway with coarse salt, and every so often shook it back and forth.—
Jeffrey Steingarten,
Vogue,
5 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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What first appeared to be a common job-interview phishing campaign ultimately revealed a hack so widespread and easy to replicate that investigators fear irreversible damage.—
Jessica Klein,
PC Magazine,
11 Apr. 2026
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For years, the sight of a dark streetlight was all too common in the city.—
Adam Duxter,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Raffish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/raffish. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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