rakish

1 of 2

adjective (1)

rak·​ish ˈrā-kish 

: of, relating to, or characteristic of a rake : dissolute

rakish

2 of 2

adjective (2)

1

: having a trim or streamlined appearance suggestive of speed

a rakish ship

2

: dashingly or carelessly unconventional : jaunty

rakish clothes

Synonyms

Adjective (1)

• corrupt
• debased
• debauched
• decadent
• degenerate
• degraded
• demoralized
• depraved
• dissipated
• dissolute
• jackleg
• libertine
• loose
• perverse
• perverted
• rakehell
• rakehelly
• reprobate
• sick
• unclean
• unwholesome
• warped

Examples of rakish in a Sentence

Adjective (1)

within a few short years their rakish son had squandered the family fortune on hard liquor and fast cars

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The coupe was a relatively recent addition to the normal GV80 SUV, sacrificing a little volume at the back for a rakish ducktail rear end. —Ars Technica, 3 Mar. 2025

With a rakish cigar in his mouth, Weegee seems to be asking: Is this firearm large enough to grab your eye? —Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 22 Feb. 2025

Who better, then, to pry Eve loose than a rangy, rakish music journalist (Benjamin Bratt) whose game includes unironic hat-wearing and — like a dispiriting number of men in his age bracket — the unembarrassed deployment of Stephen Stills lyrics? —Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025

Cécile, the willful teenage narrator, is vacationing on the Côte d’Azur with her rakish widowed father, Raymond. —airmail.news, 17 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective (1)

rake entry 5

Adjective (2)

probably from rake entry 4; from the raking masts of pirate ships

First Known Use

Adjective (1)

1696, in the meaning defined above

Adjective (2)

1824, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing rakish

• rakish angle

Kids Definition

rakish

1 of 2 adjective

rak·​ish ˈrā-kish 

: of or resembling that of a rake : dissolute

rakishly adverb

rakishness noun

rakish

2 of 2 adjective

1

: having a trim or streamlined look that suggests speed

a rakish ship

a rakish sports car

2

: jaunty, dashing

rakish clothes

rakishly adverb

rakishness noun

Etymology

Adjective

from rake "libertine"

Adjective

from earlier rake "the amount of slope or lean of a ship's mast or the amount of overhang of a ship's bow"