riffraff

American  

[rif-raf] / ˈrɪfˌræf /

noun

1. people, or a group of people, regarded as disreputable or worthless.

   a pack of riffraff.

2. the lowest classes; rabble.

   the riffraff of the city.

3. trash; rubbish.

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adjective

1. worthless, disreputable, or trashy.

riffraff British  

/ ˈrɪfˌræf /

noun

1. worthless people, esp collectively; rabble

2. dialect worthless rubbish

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Etymology

Origin of riffraff

1425–75; late Middle English rif and raf every particle, things of small value < Old French rif et raf, formed on rifler to spoil ( rifle ² ), raffler to ravage, snatch away

Example Sentences

He has some friends — acquaintances, really — whom he hates, mentally labeling them “the riffraff, the vulgarians, the slobs.”

From New York Times • Apr. 8, 2024

Just before the riots he had also responded to a rowdy reception committee in one banlieue by calling them racaille - riffraff.

From BBC • Jun. 28, 2023

“I’ve dealt with the riffraff on the street for 14 years so I know how to play that,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 2023

After all, someone’s gotta clear out the riffraff and the scammers, right?

From Slate • Jan. 6, 2023

“Teléfono, urgente, Embajada,” she whispers to Don Vic, and he takes off, leaving her to collapse into the arms of her own riffraff.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez