Raphael

American  

[raf-ee-uhl, rey-fee-, rah-fahy-el] / ˈræf i əl, ˈreɪ fi-, ˌrɑ faɪˈɛl /

noun

1. Raffaello Santi or Sanzio, 1483–1520, Italian painter.

2. one of the archangels.

3. a male given name: from a Hebrew word meaning “healing of the Lord.”

---

Raphael British  

/ ˈræfeɪəl /

noun

1. Bible one of the archangels; the angel of healing and the guardian of Tobias (Tobit 3:17; 5–12). Feast day: Sept 29

2. original name Raffaello Santi or Sanzio . 1483–1520, Italian painter and architect, regarded as one of the greatest artists of the High Renaissance. His many paintings include the Sistine Madonna (?1513) and the Transfiguration (unfinished, 1520)

---

Raphael Cultural  

1. A sixteenth-century Italian painter. A contemporary of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, he is known for his beautiful and gracious Madonnas and The School of Athens (see Plato's Academy).

---

Other Word Forms

• Raphaelesque adjective

Example Sentences

Due out May 1, it features contributions from R&B pioneer Raphael Saadiq, pop star Khalid, rapper Vic Mensa and more.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

Georgia's Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock visited the facility, and his office participated in a briefing with ICE officials, but "many questions remain unanswered", a spokesperson said.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and now Raphael: New York's prestigious Metropolitan Museum of Art is dedicating a retrospective to the third of the great masters of the Italian Renaissance.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

While Leonardo da Vinci struggled to finish his projects, and Michelangelo tended to focus obsessively on the same themes, Raphael completed an astonishing number and variety of commissions in his short life.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

And so Gabriel, along with the angels Michael, Uriel, and Raphael, caused the Nephilim to wage war against one another.

From "Where Things Come Back" by John Corey Whaley