as in masses
people looked down upon as ignorant and of the lowest class
locals complained that rental housing would attract the ragtag and bobtail to their well-groomed suburb
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ragtag and bobtail
Noun
-
Finalists not only have to demonstrate their dance skills, but are tested on their knowledge of football, public-speaking talent and fitness — pushups, situps, plank poses.—
Lisa Gutierrez
May 6,
Kansas City Star,
6 May 2026 -
Broward County Judge Woody Robert Clermont stood before the Florida Supreme Court Wednesday morning to take what was coming to him — a public reprimand for showing up in another judge’s courtroom to serve as a lawyer for a friend facing a domestic violence accusation.—
Rafael Olmeda,
Sun Sentinel,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
Was Widow’s Bay a literal prison at one point, or is this a metaphor that speaks to how desperately the populace clings to the past?—
Jen Chaney,
Vulture,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Instead of Gladiators fighting for our entertainment, the emperors are shadowboxing before an angry populace.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
All that loot pumped out of the Armenian proletariat, says the gaur, and for what.—
Sean Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Severin, on the other hand, represents the revolutionary proletariat.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
In her cell, surrounded by her fellow rabble-rousing women, Deborah works the room.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
-
How dare the lowly rabble at Fenway Park treat our esteemed mayor and governor with such disrespect!—
Joe Battenfeld,
Boston Herald,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Pieces of trash, including an empty Pacifico beer can, gather dust on the floor behind the counter.—
Audrey Pachuta,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
-
Her choice would have been to ask if the interviewer would prefer the trash in the basket (avoiding any jokes about the interviewer having missed the target) and then proceed accordingly.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
The New York Knicks seem to enjoy a nice rout in playoff series-clinching games.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
10 May 2026
-
Offensive surge results in a 15-2 rout of the visiting Twins as Washington gets contributions from several players trying to secure their roster spots.—
Danielle Allentuck,
Washington Post,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
Weekly cleanings can keep soap scum from building up on shower doors and becoming difficult to remove.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
5 May 2026
-
The short pause helps the cleaner break down soap scum, residue, and odors more effectively, while requiring less scrubbing and saving time.—
Colleen Sullivan,
Martha Stewart,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
Which is to say, the people in the streets weren’t riffraff running amok but activists with aims.—
Daniel Immerwahr,
New Yorker,
18 Aug. 2025
-
Sometimes Evie imagined the land, the world, the city around her as a cartoon neighborhood, the houses’ edges elastic like balloons, their walls filling up and bloating and then, all at once, popping: ejecting out the riffraff and trash in a huff.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Aug. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Ragtag and bobtail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ragtag%20and%20bobtail. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
