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raffish

 - 3 dictionary results

raff⋅ish

  [raf-ish]
Use raffish in a Sentence
–adjective
1. mildly or sometimes engagingly disreputable or nonconformist; rakish: a matinee idol whose raffish offstage behavior amused millions.
2. gaudily vulgar or cheap; tawdry.
Origin:
1795–1805; raff + -ish 1

Related forms:
raff⋅ish⋅ly, adverb
raff⋅ish⋅ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To raffish
raff·ish   (rāf'ĭsh)   
adj.  

  1. Cheaply or showily vulgar in appearance or nature; tawdry.

  2. Characterized by a carefree or fun-loving unconventionality; rakish.


[Probably from dialectal raff, rubbish, from Middle English raf, perhaps of Scandinavian origin.]
raff'ish·ly adv., raff'ish·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

raffish 
"disreputable, vulgar," 1801 (first attested in Jane Austen), from raff "people," usually of a lower sort (1673), probably from rif and raf (1338) "everyone," via Fr. or M.Du., ultimately also probably related to Swed. rafs "rubbish" (see riffraff).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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