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 While trying to stay under the radar, Sophie catches Benedict's attention, who is determined to leave his rakish past behind him. — Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026 Nine years younger than Hepburn, Dotti was the fun-loving, rakish son of an aristocratic Italian family. — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 15 May 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 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 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
  • In reality, leaders on both sides are corrupt and always on the edge of disaster.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 29 June 2026
  • My career actually focuses on bonding and preventing taxpayers from being on the hook for the failures of bankrupt and corrupt companies.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 28 June 2026
Definition of corrupt
Adjective
  • Faster delivery with degraded quality just accelerates technical debt and erodes user trust.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • Her days are spent growing coral fragments in nurseries, cleaning restoration structures, managing coral predators and transplanting coral onto degraded reefs.
    — Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026
Definition of degraded
Adjective
  • If a sick animal did end up at a slaughterhouse, the US Department of Agriculture’s thorough meat inspection system would very likely spot it, separate it from others and deem it US Suspect.
    — Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 5 July 2026
  • But when McGinley was a teen-ager, Michael became sick with AIDS and moved home to New Jersey.
    — Chris Wiley, New Yorker, 4 July 2026
Definition of sick
Adjective
  • His untimely death set the template for the doomed, dissolute musician.
    — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026
  • First filmed before the pandemic and launched in its throes, a survivor of the era of streaming wars, corporate consolidation and Hollywood strikes, HBO’s addictively dissolute workplace drama remains as ambitious and authoritative as ever.
    — Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2026
Definition of dissolute
Adjective
  • Better known among seasoned riders as the Triple Nickel, the route makes for one of the most crooked roads in the Midwest, if not the country.
    — Condé Nast Traveler, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 July 2026
  • There’ll be something else to keep the crooked numbers away, don’t worry.
    — Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 2 July 2026
Definition of crooked
Adjective
  • Vanilla wafer cookies provide a fun and unexpected crust that holds up decadent, creamy layers of chocolate and vanilla.
    — Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 5 July 2026
  • The book-length poem, set at a private party, explores the decadent lifestyles associated with the movie industry in California in the 1920s.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 5 July 2026
Definition of decadent

Browse Nearby Words

raking up
rakish
rakishness
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Cite this Entry

“Rakish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rakish. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on rakish

Nglish: Translation of rakish for Spanish Speakers

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