rakish

adjective

ˈrā-kish How to pronounce rakish (audio)
Definition of rakishnext
as in corrupt
having or showing lowered moral character or standards within a few short years their rakish son had squandered the family fortune on hard liquor and fast cars

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rakish Like playwright Annie Baker’s warm, lush first feature, The Children’s Bach spins around a dreamy mother whose life is rattled by the appearance of a rakish rogue. — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 2 July 2026 Watching their relationship devolve (never more so than when their sperm donor, a rakish, motorcycle-driving restaurant owner played by Mark Ruffalo, enters the scene) is most definitely a tear-jerking experience, as is the film’s final scene. — Liam Hess, Vogue, 28 June 2026 He is lured by the sound of music down a Montmartre street to Nicholas de Lenfent (Joseph Potter), an old friend from his village who has grown up to be a talented violinist and rakish twink. — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 22 June 2026 With his rakish sneer and ruthlessly tight jodhpurs, Rupert has been thoroughly neutered with irony, transformed into an object for women to pick at. — Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 10 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for rakish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rakish
  1. corrupt
  2. degraded
  3. sick
  4. dissolute
  5. crooked
  6. decadent
Adjective
  • The national Democratic effort to defeat Collins kept going; now the party is spending millions on an ad hitting her for a ProPublica story about her links to a corrupt defense contractor.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • For many voters, this view of Lula as corrupt is wrapped up with criticism of his economic policies and of the strong welfare state that the former union leader has come to embody.
    — Constance Malleret, Christian Science Monitor, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of corrupt
Adjective
  • Design choices previously thought to boost power, such as widening the gap between electrodes, actually degraded performance under true operating conditions.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2026
  • But detailed summaries of the punishments obtained by The New York Times provide the first look at how Cornell administrators apportioned blame for the alcohol and drug-fueled gathering that the woman has said left her shattered and degraded.
    — Sharon Otterman, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of degraded
Adjective
  • Compiling and sharing data from large races can also help event organizers assess whether changes like earlier start times or alternate dates help reduce the number of people who get sick or hurt.
    — STAT, STAT, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Add a perinatal mood or anxiety disorder, a loss, a lawsuit, a sick parent or a partner who travels, and the inventory stops being theoretical.
    — Simbiat Adighije, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of sick
Adjective
  • But this replacement adoption has strings attached, in the form of a father (Fabrizio Odetto) who’d already been trying to get Giulia away from his dissolute ex, and is not about to hand her over to some rich third party.
    — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 30 July 2026
  • His untimely death set the template for the doomed, dissolute musician.
    — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026
Definition of dissolute
Adjective
  • For now, the crooked finger stays, and so does the jumper that comes with it.
    — Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 1 Oct. 2026
  • In 2025, romance scammers bilked ordinary men and women out of over a billion dollars using a variety of crooked tactics.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of crooked
Adjective
  • The formula feels impressively plush and decadent, combining hyaluronic acid to boost deep hydration, retinol to smooth skin and target signs of aging, and vitamin C to brighten your complexion.
    — Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Limitless breakfasts are a revelation of truly perfect pastries alongside bowls of heritage Indonesian recipes, decadent sweets, and equally decadent Western-style dishes including a Jimbaran Bay rock lobster omelette served with bisque.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of decadent

Browse Nearby Words

raking up
rakish
rakishness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rakish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rakish. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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