1
as in villain
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person
the city's run-down waterfront was occupied mostly by disreputable places frequented by drunkards and rapscallions
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2
as in monkey
an appealingly mischievous person
that little rapscallion kept hiding my shoes and making me go look for them
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Recent Examples of rapscallion
Imagine how Lowell’s most fun, most ferocious rock ‘n’ roll rapscallions will do Sabbath during their tribute set May 2 at the Smokehouse Tavern.
—
Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 26 Apr. 2026
Twin brothers, these rapscallions can be told apart by Boris’s kinked tail and the colors of their collars.
—Literary Hub, 10 Apr. 2026
Wade now will join the renegade row of coaches at LSU, which also employs football rapscallion Lane Kiffin and women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 27 Mar. 2026
Snoop Dogg, the rap rapscallion who puts the OG in Olympic Games, plopped down on a couch in the NBC green room and muted the TV.
—Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2026
Gods of Egypt is actually told from the point of view of a young rapscallion named Bek, played by Brenton Thwaites.
—Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Actual: When two rapscallion owners work together to stack a team with their best players, usually when one of the rat-bastards has been eliminated from the playoffs.
—Bill Reinhard, New York Daily News, 3 Aug. 2025
Korda has declared that, because his nine sons are, frankly, nincompoops and rapscallions, Liesl will be the sole heir to his fortune.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 24 May 2025
At the train station where Delta Slim performs, the rapscallion Stack reunites, uneasily, with old flame Mary (Hailee Steinfeld), who has been waiting a little too long for the charming dog who ditched her.
—Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2025
Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 26 Apr. 2026
Twin brothers, these rapscallions can be told apart by Boris’s kinked tail and the colors of their collars.
—Literary Hub, 10 Apr. 2026
Wade now will join the renegade row of coaches at LSU, which also employs football rapscallion Lane Kiffin and women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 27 Mar. 2026
Snoop Dogg, the rap rapscallion who puts the OG in Olympic Games, plopped down on a couch in the NBC green room and muted the TV.
—Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2026
Gods of Egypt is actually told from the point of view of a young rapscallion named Bek, played by Brenton Thwaites.
—Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Actual: When two rapscallion owners work together to stack a team with their best players, usually when one of the rat-bastards has been eliminated from the playoffs.
—Bill Reinhard, New York Daily News, 3 Aug. 2025
Korda has declared that, because his nine sons are, frankly, nincompoops and rapscallions, Liesl will be the sole heir to his fortune.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 24 May 2025
At the train station where Delta Slim performs, the rapscallion Stack reunites, uneasily, with old flame Mary (Hailee Steinfeld), who has been waiting a little too long for the charming dog who ditched her.
—Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rapscallion
Noun
-
Fisk, the villain, ultimately loses this battle.—
Tracy Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026
-
Who’s the villain on your show?—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
In a portion of that video, players can be heard making monkey animal noises while a Black student was pitching for Crofton.—
Caroline Foreback,
CBS News,
1 May 2026
-
In the sketch, Sherman wore oversized fake teeth and mocked Wood’s Manchester accent in a line about removing fluoride from water and eating monkeys.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
This time the closing hole was a brute, the toughest at Harbour Town on Sunday.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Apr. 2026
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And what better way to force that out of her than to put her up against a brute of a man who has all the confidence in the world?—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Something is wrong at New Hyde, a malevolent devil or monster which attacks patients, including Pepper.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
27 Apr. 2026
-
While the movie has some fun asking whether people actually want to know everything about their partners (a devil’s bargain since time immemorial), its real interest lies in how that knowledge is colored by who shares it.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Not for Gage Goncalves, who set this thing in motion with a monster goal in overtime in the Lightning’s 1-0 Game 6 victory at the Bell Centre.—
John Romano,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 May 2026
-
The titular monsters in this anthology series tend to do well at the Emmys (Evan Peters as Jeffrey Dahmer and Cooper Koch as Erik Menendez were both nominated).—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
Right now, the rascal in him slumbers, briefly glimpsed now and again behind dark shades.—
Emma Madden,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Of all the former rascals, Symoné has enjoyed the longest and most successful career in entertainment.—
Andrew Walsh,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Lamont and other Democrats said the raises were well deserved because the state needs to recruit workers for difficult jobs that include prison guards dealing with dangerous criminals and social workers dealing with troubled families in the state Department of Children and Families.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
2 May 2026
-
Even before his arrest, there were signs that the Emirates was becoming less tolerant toward major criminals.—
Ed Caesar,
New Yorker,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Surveying their home after the offenders had fled, Victim A told police that three Rolex watches and their work laptop were missing.—
Tess Kenny,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
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Eriana Haynes received 41 months in prison after pleading guilty to aiding an offender.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rapscallion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rapscallion. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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