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
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Recent Examples of rakish
Top 5 Can’t Miss Tequila here is made for sipping—at rakish cantinas, ambitious cocktail bars, and straight from the source on a distillery tour.
—
David Shortell, Travel + Leisure, 28 Sep. 2025
Historical trappings aside, the role marks a departure from the rakish George Wickham or anyone he’s portrayed before.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 12 Sep. 2025
In addition, Schwartzman portrays Burton, a rakish vampire leading a cloistered life in an Upper West Side penthouse, while Bogosian plays Daniel Molloy, and Kirk is Talamasca agent Raglan James.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2025
The former is the nerdier, more officious type in his bow tie and sport coat, the latter more rakish, a one-time rabble rouser who’s just happy to have something interesting to do.
—Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rakish
David Shortell, Travel + Leisure, 28 Sep. 2025
Historical trappings aside, the role marks a departure from the rakish George Wickham or anyone he’s portrayed before.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 12 Sep. 2025
In addition, Schwartzman portrays Burton, a rakish vampire leading a cloistered life in an Upper West Side penthouse, while Bogosian plays Daniel Molloy, and Kirk is Talamasca agent Raglan James.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2025
The former is the nerdier, more officious type in his bow tie and sport coat, the latter more rakish, a one-time rabble rouser who’s just happy to have something interesting to do.
—Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rakish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rakish
Adjective
-
The film explores themes of power and coming of age in a corrupt society, with campus culture wars and climate grief at its center.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
16 May 2026
-
Dahlia, a disillusioned police aide, breaks into the mansion of the corrupt police chief Bernal and steals the money from his safe, unloading the funds to slum dwellers whose settlement Bernal razed down.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
15 May 2026
Adjective
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But in 2003, it was considered too degraded to be capable of producing a match using methods available at the time.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
8 May 2026
-
And here was someone who was being completely humiliated, publicly humiliated, degraded, disgraced, handed a punishment that no member of the family has had — to have all their titles taken away, to be effectively un-royal, de-royaled.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
Adjective
-
That night, both the President and his wife periodically fled upstairs to check on their most beloved son, the eleven-year-old Willie, sick with a fever that would kill him two weeks later.—
Thomas Mallon,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
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What this narrative neglects are all the ways treatment might cause terrible side effects, or the long period one spends being sick, and how one’s identity may have changed in the interim.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
Adjective
-
The economist’s description of the Fed chair was admiring, almost tender— comparing him to a kindly gardener who knew just how much sunlight to bestow upon the plants, or to a father figure who could keep his profligate and dissolute children on the right path.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 May 2026
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Dane receives more screen time, but his dissolute, oft-drunk character is hard to watch knowing the actor’s offscreen battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.—
Carla Meyer,
San Francisco Chronicle,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Davis gave up the first run of the game, a 412-foot solo home run by Cameron Gurney in the top of the fourth inning, that was followed by a double that could have started a crooked inning for the Utes, but Davis picked off the runner at second base.—
Lawrence Dow,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 May 2026
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Giuliani was elected New York’s mayor in 1993 after serving as one of the nation’s highest-profile prosecutors, taking on mobsters and crooked Wall Street traders.—
Michael R. Sisak,
Chicago Tribune,
4 May 2026
Adjective
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With its iconic buildings, excellent shopping, and decadent dining, there’s no shortage of things to do in the city that never sleeps.—
Jamie Spain,
Condé Nast Traveler,
13 May 2026
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Whit’s Frozen Custard is known for its flavor of the day calendar, with rich custards running the decadent range from fluffer nutter cookie, carrot cake, and mint cookies ‘n cream to Biscoff cookie butter and banana nut bread.—
Terry Ward,
Travel + Leisure,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rakish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rakish. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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