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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Example Sentences

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

Taylor describes inappropriate physical touch, as well as the knight cornering her and saying vulgar things.

— Alessandra Schade, Vanity Fair, 28 Oct. 2026
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

Definition of vulgar

Adjective

Rosie Campbell, Managing Director of Eleos AI Research, a nonprofit dedicated to understanding and addressing the potential well-being of AI, said that some other studies have even shown that rude questions can actually improve results.

— Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 1 Nov. 2026
Others have seized on comments he’s made about the event, such as calling attendees rude or casting town halls as dangerous.

— Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of rude

Adjective

Coir doormats, made with coconut fiber, are appreciated for their coarse, abrasive textures.

— BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2026
At Cafe Cuil on the Isle of Skye, the menu features properly traditional, coarse pinhead oats soaked in oat milk overnight and finished with a seasonal topping – currently, hazelnut brittle praline and poached pears.

— Irenie Forshaw, TheWeek, 2 Nov. 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 4 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of raffish

adjective

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