rascals

noun

plural of rascal
1
as in monkeys
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in villains
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person some cold-blooded rascal had set the barn afire

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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 rascals Of all the former rascals, Symoné has enjoyed the longest and most successful career in entertainment. — Andrew Walsh, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026 In the years since 2004’s Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, Penn’s carved out a niche embodying big-talking, attention-grabbing rascals who say inappropriate things, then shrug their way through the consequences. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2026 In a time when unemployment is on the rise and the rich are running amok and wreaking havoc on the poor — and the social services in place to support them — who doesn’t love the idea of rogue rascals sticking it to a bougie institution by running off with its crown jewels? — Kathleen Newman-Bremang, Refinery29, 12 Nov. 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 With their heavy bodies, the rascals had ridden down the oak trees to crop the luscious acorns from the tree tips. — Frank C. Hibben, Outdoor Life, 13 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rascals
  1. monkeys
  2. villains
  3. devils
  4. brutes
  5. criminals
  6. offenders
  7. savages
  8. monsters
Noun
  • Long-range inhibitory neurons marked by the activity of these genes have been known for some time, based on studies in monkeys, but researchers couldn’t figure out how to manipulate them using these genes.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The monkeys were all given anesthetics and covered with sensors and probes that monitored their vitals.
    — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of monkeys
Noun
  • The way it’s framed, both the heroes and the villains can only come from the tech community.
    — Rumman Chowdhury, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2026
  • There aren’t any villains here, just young people making young people mistakes and older people making older people mistakes.
    — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of villains
Noun
  • Researchers have also documented the phenomenon in dogs, Tasmanian devils, and some kinds of clams and other shellfish.
    — Adam Cohen, Oklahoman, 18 Aug. 2026
  • In 2025, two Tasmanian devils arrived at the Australian Outback exhibit.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 July 2026
Definition of devils
Noun
  • These brutes commonly exceed 50 pounds.
    — Keith Sutton, Outdoor Life, 18 June 2026
  • In Raspail’s tale, hordes of impoverished and dark-​skinned brutes from India descend onto French shores by way of rafts, the first wave of an invasion of the civilized West by the brown-​skinned developing world.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Apr. 2026
Definition of brutes
Noun
  • The Financial Action Task Force, the global money-laundering watchdog, has warned that criminals exploit citizenship and residency programs to conceal their identities, launder illicit wealth and evade justice.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
  • In a world that escalated from criminals planning a heist to steal DVD players to flying in a rocketship to space, anything’s possible.
    — Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of criminals
Noun
  • The prosecutor’s office stated that the Supreme Court could have applied a different interpretation of the law to ensure certain offenders remained on the public list.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Wiener has passed laws protecting net neutrality, capping prescription costs and mandating mental health parity, ending mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenders, and requiring corporations disclose their greenhouse gas emissions.
    — Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of offenders
Noun
  • And potentially discover treasure that will keep the savages at home from tearing the place down.
    — Barry Collins, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
  • Or a group of shipwrecked boys turning into savages and killing one another?
    — Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026
Definition of savages
Noun
  • The main three projects — The Mummy, The Loudest Voice and Unabomber — each involve monsters in various forms.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The world has seen many hurricanes rapidly intensify in recent years, strengthening from relatively weak storms into destructive monsters in a matter of hours.
    — Chanh Kieu, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of monsters

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Cite this Entry

“Rascals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rascals. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

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