raffish
[ raf-ish ]
/ ˈræf ɪʃ /
adjective
mildly or sometimes engagingly disreputable or nonconformist; rakish: a matinee idol whose raffish offstage behavior amused millions.
gaudily vulgar or cheap; tawdry.
RELATED WORDS
rakish, disreputable, bohemian, jaunty, careless, casual, coarse, dashing, devil-may-care, fast, gay, sporty, tasteless, tawdry, unconventional, uncouth, vulgar, wild
Nearby words
- rafferty rules,
- raffia,
- raffia palm,
- raffinate,
- raffinose,
- raffishly,
- raffle,
- raffles,
- rafflesia,
- rafinesque
Origin of raffish
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for raffish
raffish
/ (ˈræfɪʃ) /
adjective
careless or unconventional in dress, manners, etc; rakish
tawdry; flashy; vulgar
Word Origin for raffish
C19: see raff
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
raffish
"disreputable, vulgar," 1801 (first attested in Jane Austen), from raff "people," usually of a lower sort (1670s), probably from rif and raf (mid-14c.) "everyone," from Middle English raf, raffe "one and all, everybody" (see riffraff). Related: Raffishly; raffishness.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper