1
as in monkey
an appealingly mischievous person
you little rascal, I saw you snitching some hors d'oeuvres even though our guests haven't even arrived yet
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in villain
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person
some cold-blooded rascal had set the barn afire
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 rascal
The hilarious hijinks that ensue are centered on a rugby-playing rascal whose initial interests in pulling chicks and working get-rich-quick schemes give way to a lifelong love of writing poetry in the post-Soviet-occupation era of the 1990s.
—
Courtney Howard, Variety, 30 Oct. 2025
And Eli was, at times, a bit of a rascal.
—David Kamp, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2025
In the process of the deal going bad, Vince presumably kills a man with his car, but since it’s never mentioned again during the course of the series, he’s allowed to be treated as a lovable rascal.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2025
The former child actors have grown up since their go-kart derby days on-screen — some have even welcomed their own little rascals off-screen.
—Keith Langston, People.com, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rascal
Courtney Howard, Variety, 30 Oct. 2025
And Eli was, at times, a bit of a rascal.
—David Kamp, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2025
In the process of the deal going bad, Vince presumably kills a man with his car, but since it’s never mentioned again during the course of the series, he’s allowed to be treated as a lovable rascal.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2025
The former child actors have grown up since their go-kart derby days on-screen — some have even welcomed their own little rascals off-screen.
—Keith Langston, People.com, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rascal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rascal
Noun
-
The practice of eating dirt, known as geophagia, is uncommon in the monkey species.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
23 Apr. 2026
-
How was the monkey carcass, meat discovered?—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The horror film, which is directed by James Watkins, will track the origins of the shape-shifting villain, played by Tom Rhys Harries.—
Giana Levy,
Variety,
22 Apr. 2026
-
But what makes this situation so hard is that there’s no obvious villain and no dramatic fallout (which, in some ways, would almost be easier to deal with).—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
Its theme — that the rich are different, and in not-good ways — meant she’d be forced into a ritualistic game of hide-and-seek, running for her life from her devil-worshipping, masters-of-the-world in-laws.—
Michael Ordoña,
Houston Chronicle,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
This time the closing hole was a brute, the toughest at Harbour Town on Sunday.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Apr. 2026
-
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
-
One untitled work from 1994 shows a strange monster—a guard bent over, gazing back at us between his own legs, his upside-down grin framed by his jackboots.—
Ben Davis,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The Browns, who have openly admitted regret over the monster trade and deal, restructured his contract last month for a third time in roughly a yearlong span.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Pratt, in particular, brings ferocity to the savage antagonist Jack, a turn that signals the arrival of a major young talent.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
14 Apr. 2026
-
One answer would be that the more savage the storm, the more urgent the need for safe havens.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Many of the toughest criminals taken into ICE custody were already in prison, but many others who were arrested have no criminal history.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
In the furthest part of space lies Dante 01, a detention facility that houses criminals who have committed the most shocking crimes imaginable.—
Sergio Pereira,
Space.com,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
New Orleans has long been notorious for embracing such scoundrels, a reputation that isn’t exactly helped by the fact that, for many years, disgraced attorneys who lost their licenses in Louisiana and applied for readmission to the bar often got it.—
Patrick Radden Keefe,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Sure, the Oscar-winning makeup helps transform the actor into Cheney, but the voice and petulance are all Bale, whose conjuring of this scoundrel ought to trigger PTSD for anyone who survived the Dubya years.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rascal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rascal. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
