RIFFRAFFS Synonyms: 103 Similar and Opposite Words

riffraff

noun

ˈrif-ˌraf

Definition of riffraff

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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for riffraff

Noun

Mercury's rough surface, continually reshaped by debris hurled from impact craters, may have hidden the true extent of the loss, according to the researchers whose findings appear in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 11 Sep. 2026
This comes after a partial glacier collapse in the Himalayan mountains unleashed a sudden surge of water, mud, and debris that swept through border crossings, valley communities, and hydropower projects on August 26.

— Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of debris

Noun

Abdul El-Sayed, a rabble-rousing populist and former public health official, just barely eked out a primary victory Tuesday in Michigan over a centrist rival who was the pick of Washington Democrats to keep a must-hold Senate seat.

— Philip Elliott, Time, 5 Aug. 2026
Their tardiness, which saw the start delayed by half an hour, was continued on the field with India looking like a rabble in the face of the onslaught from Buttler and Brook.

— Paul Newman, New York Times, 12 July 2026

Definition of rabble

Noun

The vanishing New York chronicled in the blogs of the mid-aughts has mostly vanished, NYU has colonized large swaths of downtown, and a populace struggling to afford the crushing price of housing has arisen in its wake.

— David Freedlander, Curbed, 11 Sep. 2026
But the impulse to monitor the nation’s populace and borders expanded exponentially.

— David Friend, Vanity Fair, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of populace

Noun

On Friday morning, trash was littered about the park, people appeared to be doing drugs, and an apparently homeless person and his belongings had set up camp on a park bench.

— Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Latinos Aventureros Co-Founder Sandra Salazar said complaints about trash at Wilson Creek since Hurricane Helene created friction in the area.

— Lily Knoepp, Charlotte Observer, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of trash

Noun

Another 13 people were wounded on downtown Sacramento’s K Street and 10th Street, in what became the deadliest mass shooting in the city’s history.

— Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 19 June 2026
Organizers say more than 125,000 people are expected throughout the event, bringing in millions of dollars for the local economy.

— Ryan Hughes, CBS News, 19 June 2026

Definition of people

Noun

The National Weather Service called for blowing dust early Friday evening and a 20% chance of rain on Sunday for nearby Gerlach, Nevada, a community of 58 people about 100 miles north of Reno.

— Dennis Romero, NBC news, 5 Sep. 2026
During the transformation the gases escape, dragging dust and ice particles off the surface with them.

— Keith Cooper, Space.com, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of dust

Noun

It’s been just a few years since ChatGPT’s release to public in late 2022, democratizing access to chatbots with the ability to answer increasingly personal questions using language from the whole of the internet.

— Jennifer Liu, CNBC, 6 Sep. 2026
When a self-serving gatekeeper in that position helps divide inventory between what the broad public can see and what only market insiders can see, the result is a less transparent and competitive market.

— Tomas J. Philipson, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of public

Browse Nearby Words

riffling

riffraff

riffs

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“Riffraff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riffraff. Accessed 11 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of riffraff

noun

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