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rascal

American  
[ras-kuhl] / ˈræs kəl /

noun

  1. a base, dishonest, or unscrupulous person.

    Synonyms:
    scapegrace, miscreant, villain, scamp, rapscallion

  2. a mischievous person or animal.

    That child is a real rascal.
rascal British  
/ ˈrɑːskəl /

noun

  1. a disreputable person; villain

  2. a mischievous or impish rogue

  3. an affectionate or mildly reproving term for a child or old man

    you little rascal

    the wicked old rascal kissed her

  4. obsolete a person of lowly birth

"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

adjective

  1. obsolete (prenominal)

    1. belonging to the mob or rabble

    2. dishonest; knavish

"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

Related Words

See knave.

Other Word Forms

  • rascallike adjective

Etymology

Origin of rascal

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English rascaile, raskaille, from Old French rascaille “rabble”; perhaps akin to rash 2

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.