1
as in villain
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person
the city's run-down waterfront was occupied mostly by disreputable places frequented by drunkards and rapscallions
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2
as in monkey
an appealingly mischievous person
that little rapscallion kept hiding my shoes and making me go look for them
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Recent Examples of rapscallion
Wade now will join the renegade row of coaches at LSU, which also employs football rapscallion Lane Kiffin and women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey.
—
Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 27 Mar. 2026
Snoop Dogg, the rap rapscallion who puts the OG in Olympic Games, plopped down on a couch in the NBC green room and muted the TV.
—Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2026
Gods of Egypt is actually told from the point of view of a young rapscallion named Bek, played by Brenton Thwaites.
—Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Actual: When two rapscallion owners work together to stack a team with their best players, usually when one of the rat-bastards has been eliminated from the playoffs.
—Bill Reinhard, New York Daily News, 3 Aug. 2025
Korda has declared that, because his nine sons are, frankly, nincompoops and rapscallions, Liesl will be the sole heir to his fortune.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 24 May 2025
At the train station where Delta Slim performs, the rapscallion Stack reunites, uneasily, with old flame Mary (Hailee Steinfeld), who has been waiting a little too long for the charming dog who ditched her.
—Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2025
Born on Christmas in 1899, Bogart was a rapscallion from the jump despite being born into a fairly well-off family.
—Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 1 Mar. 2025
Ever since her husband died from a bee sting, the matriarch has smoothly guided her octet of rapscallions through proposals, scandals, and balloon disasters.
—Devon Ivie, Vulture, 14 June 2024
Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 27 Mar. 2026
Snoop Dogg, the rap rapscallion who puts the OG in Olympic Games, plopped down on a couch in the NBC green room and muted the TV.
—Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2026
Gods of Egypt is actually told from the point of view of a young rapscallion named Bek, played by Brenton Thwaites.
—Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Actual: When two rapscallion owners work together to stack a team with their best players, usually when one of the rat-bastards has been eliminated from the playoffs.
—Bill Reinhard, New York Daily News, 3 Aug. 2025
Korda has declared that, because his nine sons are, frankly, nincompoops and rapscallions, Liesl will be the sole heir to his fortune.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 24 May 2025
At the train station where Delta Slim performs, the rapscallion Stack reunites, uneasily, with old flame Mary (Hailee Steinfeld), who has been waiting a little too long for the charming dog who ditched her.
—Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2025
Born on Christmas in 1899, Bogart was a rapscallion from the jump despite being born into a fairly well-off family.
—Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 1 Mar. 2025
Ever since her husband died from a bee sting, the matriarch has smoothly guided her octet of rapscallions through proposals, scandals, and balloon disasters.
—Devon Ivie, Vulture, 14 June 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rapscallion
Noun
-
Then there’s Haim, so full of venom and vitriol, who depending on one’s perspective is low-key the hero or villain of the film.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Javier Bardem’s Oscar-winning performance as Anton Chigurh in the Coen brothers’ No Country for Old Men remains an iconic villain turn 20 years later.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
And in other happy animal news, Punch the monkey has a new best friend.—
Maureen O'Hare,
CNN Money,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Villas are set among 475 acres of pristine golf courses and land-before-time-style vegetation inhabited by the property’s namesake monkeys.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The psychology that Bryk wrote for these young men is the key as to why these brutes are more lovable than unbearable.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Bay Hill was a brute before the round was halted for just over an hour because of heavy rain.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
While the movie has some fun asking whether people actually want to know everything about their partners (a devil’s bargain since time immemorial), its real interest lies in how that knowledge is colored by who shares it.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Is chocolate devil’s food cake with ganache your favorite birthday cake?—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In Nuremberg,Göring is closer to a sad clown than to a monster.—
Alice Kaplan,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
-
For the non-Nintendo among us, Bowser is Mario’s enemy, a fire-breathing monster and leader of the Koops.—
Dewayne Bevil,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Right now, the rascal in him slumbers, briefly glimpsed now and again behind dark shades.—
Emma Madden,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Of all the former rascals, Symoné has enjoyed the longest and most successful career in entertainment.—
Andrew Walsh,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Göring, played by Russell Crowe, is the troubling centerpiece of James Vanderbilt’s ambitious film devoted to the trial of the major Nazi war criminals at Nuremberg in 1945–1946.—
Alice Kaplan,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
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Also included is a 13% increase in funding for the Department of Justice to focus on violent criminals and a $481 million increase in funding to enhance aviation safety and support an air traffic controller hiring surge.—
LISA MASCARO,
Arkansas Online,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Anyone can see how many cases are filed, how much attorneys collect, and who the worst offenders are.—
Tom Manzo,
Oc Register,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Punish the worst offenders by requiring them to apologize, publicly, for missing the mark.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rapscallion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rapscallion. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
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