adj
raffish
Raffish (adj) means marked by a casual disregard for convention; rakish.
adj
1
Marked by a casual disregard for convention; rakish.
"The smokers' most raffish outsider, Comstock, appeared to do nothing but smoke; Chris had never seen him inside the building."
— Jennifer Egan, i, the Protagonist (2022)
2
Cheap-looking and not respectable.
"He bowed cordially to the lady in charge of Miss de Barral’s education, whom he saw in the hall engaged in conversation with a very good-looking but somewhat raffish young gentleman."
— Joseph Conrad, The Governess (1914)
"He wore a neat dark overcoat, brown shoes, and a bowler hat rather on one side; his appearance was, in fact, genteel, though his air was a trifle raffish."
— Anthony Hope (1919)
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Etymology
Comes from the late 18th-century word raff (“persons among the lowest class in society”) plus -ish, a sense still kept today in riffraff. Raff itself comes from Old French raffer (“to wear away”), which is of Germanic origin; compare German raffen, and compare also rip (“to tear”) and rap (“to snatch”).
Synonyms
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Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of raffish?
"raffish" (adj) means marked by a casual disregard for convention; rakish.
What is another word for raffish?
Other words for "raffish" include spiffy, snappy, spruce, natty, rakish, jaunty.
What is the opposite of raffish?
Opposites of "raffish" include low-key, austere, modest.
What are the different meanings of raffish?
"raffish" has 2 main meanings: 1. Marked by a casual disregard for convention; rakish; 2. Cheap-looking and not respectable.
