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
Lawyers, journalists and similar riffraff congregated at lunch or after work, and Vincent worked the room, table-hopping with jokes or movie reviews or tales from his latest intriguing trip.
—
Neal Rubin, Detroit Free Press, 8 Sep. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for riffraff
Neal Rubin, Detroit Free Press, 8 Sep. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for riffraff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for riffraff
Noun
-
Videos published online and geolocated by NBC News showed a blazing fire inside the airport, surrounded by debris and heavy smoke as people ran for cover.—
Chantal Da Silva,
NBC news,
4 June 2026
-
Remove any loose bits of food and debris from the smoker and removable components.—
Maria Sabella,
The Spruce,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
Though Export’s radical feminist art grew out of a particular political moment that had pretty much passed by the time Yuskavage began her career, the artists nonetheless share a rabble-rousing sensibility and an obsession with the unnerving visual punch of the female body.—
Naomi Fry,
New Yorker,
23 May 2026
-
In her cell, surrounded by her fellow rabble-rousing women, Deborah works the room.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
The Paris police prefecture said smaller groups caused disturbances in various locations, with some vandalizing shops and setting fires to garbage and self-service bicycles in the streets.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
31 May 2026
-
Protesters were later seen pelting ICE vehicles with kitchen towels and trash as garbage littered the ground.—
Gloria Pazmino,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
All those unappetizing items go in your brown yard waste cart, not the black trash cart or the blue recycle cart.—
Terri Daxon,
Oc Register,
28 May 2026
-
Do not place the plant in the trash or a compost bin.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
Gentile da Foligno in Perugia Italy was one of the few regions in Latin Christendom where physicians organized into guilds in the fourteenth century and thus routinely treated the general populace, rather than merely the wealthier mercantile and aristocratic classes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 May 2026
-
No matter what happens, the Islamic Republic will not have an easy time reigning over its exhausted populace and rebuilding its economy and infrastructure.—
Arash Azizi,
The Atlantic,
27 May 2026
Noun
-
The dust cleared as both Grandes Americanos were on equal footing.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
-
Justice Department officials, however, helped turn this particular dust-up into a confusing reminder of the circus that surrounded Carroll’s legal crusade against the president, which began in 2019.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
31 May 2026
Noun
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That’s a lot of new junk if the trend continues.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
29 May 2026
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The right organizers transform chaotic spaces into functional ones — drawer dividers that prevent junk drawers from becoming black holes, cabinet organizers that maximize vertical space and hanging storage that uses doors instead of precious floor space.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
27 May 2026
Noun
-
In the 18 months since, Chief of Police Kevin Freeman said the department has responded to around 625 calls for service — 134 of which occurred this calendar year — in regards to people camping or sleeping in public around the city.—
Jenna Ebbers,
Kansas City Star,
3 June 2026
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Hampshire’s police and crime commissioner has called for a review of religious exemptions on the carrying of knives in public after the fatal stabbing of Henry Nowak last December.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Riffraff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riffraff. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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