rakish
1[ rey-kish ]
/ ˈreɪ kɪʃ /
adjective
like a rake; dissolute: rakish behavior.
RELATED WORDS
saucy, sporty, raffish, dashing, jaunty, profligate, abandoned, chic, debauched, depraved, devil-may-care, dissipated, dissolute, fashionable, fast, flashy, gay, lecherous, licentious, loose
Nearby words
- raking,
- raking bond,
- raking cornice,
- raking course,
- raking piece,
- rakishly,
- raku,
- rakʿa,
- rale,
- raleigh
Origin of rakish
1rakish
2[ rey-kish ]
/ ˈreɪ kɪʃ /
adjective
smart; jaunty; dashing: a hat worn at a rakish angle.
(of a vessel) having an appearance suggesting speed.
Origin of rakish
2SYNONYMS FOR rakish
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for rakish
rakish
1/ (ˈreɪkɪʃ) /
adjective
dissolute; profligate
Word Origin for rakish
C18: from rake ² + -ish
adjective
dashing; jauntya hat set at a rakish angle
nautical (of a ship or boat) having lines suggestive of speed
Word Origin for rakish
C19: probably from rake ³ (sense 1), with reference to the sloping masts of pirate ships
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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rakish
1706, "debauched, disreputable," from rake (n.2) + -ish. Related: Rakishly; rakishness.
The meaning "smart, jaunty, dashing" (1824) is said to be a different word, probably from rake "slant, slope" (1620s), used especially in reference to a ship's hull or sails, of uncertain origin, perhaps from Scandinavian (cf. Old Swedish raka "project, reach;" Danish rage "protrude, project") related to Old English reccan "stretch." "The piratical craft of former times were distinguished for their rakish build" [Century Dictionary].
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper