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
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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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rascals
Noun
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In fact, the German naturalist and polymath has been described as the person with more species – from penguins and monkeys to an orchid – and places named after him than any other human.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Apr. 2026
-
These days, Punch seldom relies on the plushie and instead can be found socializing with other monkeys, according to Yasunaga.—
Angeline Jane Bernabe,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
There are flying cars held at bay by the power of telekenesis and Park teleporting, as the crew clumsily accept their new ‘hero’ roles and attempt to take on the villains threatening the peace of Haeseong City.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
22 Apr. 2026
-
The playoffs have delivered their share of Knicks villains over the years, from Reggie Miller to Joel Embiid to Tyrese Haliburton.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Other propaganda compared Native people to buffalo, cats, dogs, and devils.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Mar. 2026
-
There are sounds and shadows in the forest; the Devil, or devils, may be walking the earth.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
That’s happened in several Mid Atlantic rivers, but in the absence of larger brutes like blues and flathead, channels will thrive and can break the 15-pound mark.—
Joe Cermele,
Outdoor Life,
9 Apr. 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
Noun
-
The scheme is designed to identify suspected criminals, combat identity fraud, and to police the EU's limit on 90-day stays within a 180-day period, according to the European Commission.—
Emma Clarke,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Apr. 2026
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Rex Heuermann, the man known as the Gilgo Beach killer, admitted to killing eight women over a span of decades, and the FBI is now looking into what motivated the 62-year-old to carry out his crimes to help capture other criminals in the future.—
Matt Lavietes,
NBC news,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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One way to stop this proliferation of deep-fake nudity is to prosecute the offenders and make examples that such foolery has consequences.—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
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He was convicted in 2019 at age 13 of assaulting another child at school with a hockey stick and placed under supervision of a local service for youth offenders.—
Brian Melley,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
This notion was based on outdated presumptions of hillforts as being occupied by violent, prehistoric savages.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Or Irish, in a time when they were seen as savages by the Englishmen?—
Arushi Jacob,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
So many of my favorite filmmakers over the years have been exposed as monsters.—
Elisabeth Garber-Paul,
Rolling Stone,
19 Apr. 2026
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No further films in the series are planned, though Universal did repurpose the name Dark Universe for an area of its Epic Universe theme park featuring the classic monsters.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rascals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rascals. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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