rascal
Americannoun
-
rascals
plural
-
a base, dishonest, or unscrupulous person.
- Synonyms:
- scapegrace, miscreant, villain, scamp, rapscallion
-
a mischievous person or animal.
That child is a real rascal.
noun
-
a disreputable person; villain
-
a mischievous or impish rogue
-
an affectionate or mildly reproving term for a child or old man
you little rascal
the wicked old rascal kissed her
-
obsolete a person of lowly birth
adjective
Synonym Usage
See knave.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of rascal
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English rascaile, raskaille, from Old French rascaille “rabble”; perhaps akin to rash 2
Explanation
A rascal is a scoundrel or a trickster. If your new puppy cheerfully chews on your shoes and chases the cat, you might want to consider naming her Rascal. Rascals are mischievous, but their intentions are to have fun, rather than to be cruel. An armed robber is not a rascal, but the class clown is a rascal. The word's origins had a more negative connotation, though: the fourteenth century rascaile meant "low class people," from the Old French rascaille, "rabble or mob."
Vocabulary lists containing rascal
Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 3
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Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
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"Abuela Invents the Zero" and "Karate"
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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.
See Examples For:
At his best, he’s a superb screen star: a nimble rascal with a twinkle in his eye.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
The question Mr. Junod explores is whether his father was a scoundrel or merely a rascal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 5, 2026
Onstage, Epps convincingly plays that rascal who has charmed his way out of trouble.
From New York Times ● Feb. 20, 2024
If a man is called a zorra, it simply means "rascal".
From BBC ● Feb. 7, 2024
“And that little rascal over there by the doughnuts is Frankie.”
From "The Red Umbrella" by Christina Gonzalez
The most notable stock-market research over the weekend comes from academia, where researchers studied those rascals in Congress and their proclivity to trade.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 1, 2025
Dare we say, some rascals even made fun of her over it.
From Slate ● May 1, 2025
We too had many pretty toys when young: A law indifferent to blame or praise, … O what fine thought we had because we thought That the worst rogues and rascals had died out.
From New York Times ● Jul. 19, 2022
This one, a collection of his New Yorker pieces about criminals and rascals, sounds irresistible.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 31, 2021
So he reached down and snatched one of the little rascals up, stuffed it in his hat, tucked his hat under his arm.
From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
