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Synonyms

rakish

1 American  
[rey-kish] / ˈreɪ kɪʃ /

adjective

  1. like a rake; dissolute.

    rakish behavior.
rakish 2 American  
[rey-kish] / ˈreɪ kɪʃ /

adjective

  1. smart; jaunty; dashing.

    a hat worn at a rakish angle.
    Synonyms:
    breezy, debonair, dapper, sporting

  2. (of a vessel) having an appearance suggesting speed.

rakish 1 British  
/ ˈreɪkɪʃ /

adjective

  1. dashing; jaunty

    a hat set at a rakish angle

  2. nautical (of a ship or boat) having lines suggestive of speed

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
rakish 2 British  
/ ˈreɪkɪʃ /

adjective

  1. dissolute; profligate

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of rakish1

First recorded in 1700–10; rake 2 + -ish 1

Origin of rakish2

First recorded in 1815–25; rake 3 + -ish 1

Explanation

Ladies, the rakish fellow you met last night with the suave dance moves, smoothly rehearsed lines, and your number listed as “Goddess #14” in his phone is fine for a flirt, but probably isn’t meet-the-parents material. Used as an adjective to describe a dashing ladies’ man or a streamlined ship, rakish comes from the fusing of rake + -ish. Don Juan, the famous Spanish nobleman immortalized in 17th century Spanish tales, is the epitome of rakish: stylishly handsome and prone to saucy, fast behavior. Synonyms include charming, flashy, and immoral.

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Beginning their final league match one point ahead of bottom club Inverness CT, Accies went in front through Rakish Bingham's close-range finish.

From BBC • May 20, 2017

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.