RAFFISH Synonyms: 77 Similar and Opposite Words

raffish

adjective

ˈra-fish

Definition of raffish

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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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of raffish Three or four decades ago, the newspaperman was appealingly raffish—at once a bum who drank too much and a knight-errant who charged unafraid at social injustice, succored the weak, and crossed lances with the powerful and arrogant. — David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025 A little lowly courier work, yes, but nothing more raffish than that. — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025 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 See All Example Sentences for raffish

Recent Examples of Synonyms for raffish

Adjective

But the fashionable-at-the-time nakedness of the YBAs’ desire for money, most completely embodied by Hirst, quickly became crass.

— Eliza Goodpasture, ARTnews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Murdoch is thick-skinned and accustomed to being underestimated by the condescending Brits, who see him as a crass interloper.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of crass

Adjective

In her smartly vulgar The Seasons (1957), which extends nearly 17 feet, Krasner returns to the subject of rebirth one year after Pollock’s death, depicting abundant forms resembling genitalia.

— John Yau, ARTnews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
While Musgraves' comments received both praise and backlash, one country music legend took exception to the vulgar remarks.

— Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of vulgar

Adjective

While older generations may interpret limited eye contact, a flat expression or a pause before responding as rude, lazy or unprofessional, that might not be a younger person’s intent at all, Leahy said.

— CNN Money, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
Bel glows with a kind of rude Californian health and goes once a week for chiropractic adjustments, including of her jaw.

— Alessandra Codinha, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of rude

Adjective

Biting lines such as these come frequently from Diplo, who has little in the way of a filter and a coarse sense of humor, especially on social media.

— Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 20 Oct. 2026
In a mortar and pestle, crush the coriander seeds and peppercorns until cracked but still coarse.

— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of coarse

Adjective

That capability expanded to agriculture and meteorological purposes, eventually making Earth observation one of the most common reasons satellites and space stations are deployed into orbit today.

— Robert Z. Pearlman, Space.com, 24 Oct. 2026
Other common violations include washing cars at home, filling pools and power washing, which are all disallowed.

— Nick Sullivan, Charlotte Observer, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of common

Browse Nearby Words

radius

raffish

raffishness

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“Raffish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/raffish. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of raffish

adjective

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