1
as in debris
discarded or useless material
the sight of piles and piles of riffraff at the town dump was a sobering reminder that we are indeed a society of consumers
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in rabble
people looked down upon as ignorant and of the lowest class
local ordinances that are intended to keep the riffraff out of the town
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of riffraff
The bar’s owner, Frankie (a spirited Jessica Williams), has hired Dalton to purge the riffraff, the better to realize her dream of making the Road House a respectable joint worthy of destination weddings and romantic getaways.
—
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024
Bypass the riffraff and turn your ideas into something concrete.
—Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 18 Feb. 2024
William is ready for the task and has no intention of being killed by rebels or any other riffraff in the forests of Virginia.
—Lincee Ray, EW.com, 8 July 2023
There’s a gate topped with barbed wire to keep the riffraff out, and then long and winding stairs down to the sea.
—Stephen Rodrick, Variety, 13 Sep. 2023
See All Example Sentences for riffraff
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024
Bypass the riffraff and turn your ideas into something concrete.
—Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 18 Feb. 2024
William is ready for the task and has no intention of being killed by rebels or any other riffraff in the forests of Virginia.
—Lincee Ray, EW.com, 8 July 2023
There’s a gate topped with barbed wire to keep the riffraff out, and then long and winding stairs down to the sea.
—Stephen Rodrick, Variety, 13 Sep. 2023
See All Example Sentences for riffraff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for riffraff
Noun
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On the morning of Aug. 13, a three-person city crew equipped with a skid steer, a dump truck, shovels and rakes was making its way up North 19th Street, picking up pile after pile of debris sitting outside homes.—
Alison Dirr,
jsonline.com,
13 Aug. 2025
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That said, while a bit of debris escaped after powering down, the vacuum still delivered from start to finish.—
Toni Sutton,
People.com,
13 Aug. 2025
Noun
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There was little-to-no doubt Jurgen Klopp’s side were going to defeat Ralf Rangnick’s under-interim-management rabble that day.—
Carl Anka,
The Athletic,
4 Jan. 2025
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Advertisement From start to finish, pure madness, amid a rabble that never calmed, never quieted, never quit.—
Bill Plaschke,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Oct. 2024
Noun
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New York City has already begun working with neighborhood groups and activating organizations who sign up to be notified before a big rain to clean debris like falling leaves and garbage from the sewer drains in their community.—
Amy Chester,
New York Daily News,
6 Aug. 2025
-
Check garbage collection schedules in Ohio Ohio's bigger cities won't see garbage trucks on Labor Day.—
Mariyam Muhammad,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
4 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
More than 200 tons of trash have already been taken out of downtown San Diego, officials said.—
Blake Nelson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Aug. 2025
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In the meantime, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu indicated that, as the strike continues, her city’s code enforcement staff will be forwarding civil violations for failure to dispose of growing piles of trash to Republic Services directly.—
Matthew Medsger,
Boston Herald,
4 Aug. 2025
Noun
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There’s a practical benefit to this, along with the synthetics’ super-strength; a story about aliens let loose on a vulnerable human populace would likely have to be a short one.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
5 Aug. 2025
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The broader populace is still seeing pay gains outpace inflation (although to a lesser extent than recent years).—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
1 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The Hubble observations show that 3I/ATLAS' nucleus is shrouded by a coma made from small particles of dust that have been lifted off the interstellar comet's surface.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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This unit is used to measure the fine particulate matter in the air, such as smoke, dust, soot or dirt.—
Sarah Moore,
Freep.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Now the show is touring nationally giving even more people a chance to experience the game in a new way.—
Rob Wieland,
Forbes.com,
13 Aug. 2025
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The world knew that approximately 1,700 innocent people were surrounded by ISIS and facing genocide.—
Nadia Murad,
Time,
13 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The practice doesn’t work: Virtually every major medical association denounces it as junk science.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
6 Aug. 2025
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Limiting the number of satellites could prevent space junk, protect the satellites already in orbit and allow everyone to have a clear view of the night sky.—
Tony Milligan,
Space.com,
3 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Riffraff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riffraff. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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