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 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
Basking in the afternoon sunshine, cherry-red metallic paint glinting off its fulsome curves, the Caton exudes a raffish retro glamor.
—Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 9 Dec. 2022
Indeed, weren’t these childish fantasies of escape, these raffish homages to crime flicks, already passé when the film was made five decades ago?
—Hazlitt, 2 Dec. 2022
Although Clodagh ignores the warnings of the General’s raffish agent Mr. Dean (Alessandro Nivola), isolation and illness soon take their toll, with the haunting atmosphere of the palace particularly affecting volatile Sister Ruth (Aisling Franciosi).
—Clark Collis, EW.com, 21 Sep. 2020
See All Example Sentences for raffish
Stephen Birmingham, Town & Country, 10 Aug. 2023
Basking in the afternoon sunshine, cherry-red metallic paint glinting off its fulsome curves, the Caton exudes a raffish retro glamor.
—Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 9 Dec. 2022
Indeed, weren’t these childish fantasies of escape, these raffish homages to crime flicks, already passé when the film was made five decades ago?
—Hazlitt, 2 Dec. 2022
Although Clodagh ignores the warnings of the General’s raffish agent Mr. Dean (Alessandro Nivola), isolation and illness soon take their toll, with the haunting atmosphere of the palace particularly affecting volatile Sister Ruth (Aisling Franciosi).
—Clark Collis, EW.com, 21 Sep. 2020
See All Example Sentences for raffish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for raffish
Adjective
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Each project presented at MIA is picked with a genuine desire for these works to come to the fore, not by crass commercial considerations.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
30 Sep. 2025
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Free speech covers the jokes, the satire, the parodies—even the dumb, crass, or offensive ones.—
Lizz Winstead,
Time,
27 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The president has been targeting Jeffries online with offensive and vulgar memes since the pair first had an unsuccessful sit-down meeting in the Oval Office just before the shutdown.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
9 Oct. 2025
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One room cracked up at a vulgar joke about a woman’s behind, while another went for an outrageous and surreal midfilm montage — but each bit was made genuinely funnier by the dozens of people gasping and wheezing over it.—
Robert Rubsam,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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It’s still considered rude, and people on both sides tend to feel bad about it, albeit in different ways.—
Anna Holmes,
The Atlantic,
20 Oct. 2025
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Is it meant to suggest something about focaccia’s typically dimpled surface, in which case … kinda rude?—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Add cold butter; pulse just until mixture resembles coarse meal (some pea-size pieces are fine), 12 to 15 pulses.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
21 Oct. 2025
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Shred half of your Parmesan cheese using the fine side (with smaller holes) of a box grater, then shred the other half using the coarse side (with larger holes).—
Karla Walsh,
Better Homes & Gardens,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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There’s a common theme with Steen, Arbour and Jackman — all three players were heart-and-soul players with the Blues.—
Jeremy Rutherford,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
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Power source AA batteries are the common power source of standard cocktail smokers.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Joseph previously worked for an Emirati company, Global Shipping Group, and was also the signatory for three other tankers sanctioned for transporting Iranian crude oil.—
Ed Caesar,
New Yorker,
20 Oct. 2025
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Some Sora users depicted King making crude jokes and other inappropriate content.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Raffish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/raffish. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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