- having a trim, neat appearance suggesting speed: said of a ship
- having a smartly trim, casual look; dashing; jaunty
Origin of rakish
from rake + -ish
The women took notice of the rakish young man as soon as he arrived at the party.
- An example of rakish is a Maori canoe.
- An example of rakish is a stylishly dressed man.
The definition of rakish is a neat and trim appearance of a person or thing.
YourDictionary definition and usage example. Copyright © 2018 by LoveToKnow Corp
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"rakish." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/rakish>.
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rakish. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/rakish
rakish
like a rake; dissolute
Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"rakish." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/rakish>.
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rakish. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/rakish
rakish
adjective
- Nautical Having a trim, streamlined appearance: “We were schooner-rigged and rakish, with a long and lissome hull” ( John Masefield )
- Dashingly or sportingly stylish; jaunty.
Origin of rakish
Probably from rake 3 ( from the raking masts of pirate ships )adjective
Of the character of a rake; dissolute.
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"rakish." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/rakish>.
APA Style
rakish. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/rakish
Adjective
(comparative more rakish, superlative most rakish)
- dashingly, carelessly, or sportingly unconventional or stylish; jaunty; characterized by a devil-may-care unconventionality; having a somewhat disreputable quality or appearance.
- ... the rakish Dennis Quaid, a Houston native who is moving to Texas in a couple of years and wants it to become "the new Hollywood." (Houston Chronicle, 6/8/2007)
- (dated) like a rake; dissolute; profligate
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
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MLA Style
"rakish." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/rakish>.
APA Style
rakish. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/rakish
Sentence Examples
- Lt. Starbuck - Beyond the obvious gender differences, Katee Sackhoff's Starbuck was actually darker and far less optimistic than Dirk Benedict's rakish hero.
- Han Solo is the rakish, irreverent anti-hero you can't help but like.
- He caught her sharp intake of breath and gave her a rakish smile as she blushed.
- In 1776, when he was leading the resistance to Lord North's colonial policy, he "neither abandoned gaming nor his rakish life.