riffraff
riff·raff
The rabble; crowds; people of a low, disreputable or undesirable class or positionThe rabble; crowds; people of a low, disreputable or undesirable class or position.
/ˈɹɪfɹæf/
Meaning
2 senses(derogatory, informal, uncountable, usually)The rabble; crowds; people of a low, disreputable or undesirable class or position.
They started charging a modest fee in an effort to keep the riffraff out.
Pöbel, Plebs, gemeines Volk
че́рньčérnʹ, сбро́дsbród, бы́длоbýdlo
(informal, uncountable, usually)Sweepings; refuse.
More definitions
- disparaging terms for the common people
Translations
7 languagesРусский
the rabble:
Deutsch
the rabble:
Origin
From Old French rif et raf (“one and all”), of Germanic origin. The first word is from rifFrom Old French rif et raf (“one and all”), of Germanic origin. The first word is from rifler (“to scrape off”) and the last is from raffler, related to rafler (“to plunder”).
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: riffraffsSynonyms
32 synonymscrowdA2everyoneA1herdB1manyA1trashB1canaillecommonalitycommonaltycommonagedemosgeneral publicgreat unwashedhoi polloilower class
Close in meaning
- disparaging terms for the common people:rabbleragtagragtag and bobtail
Word family
3 related wordsRelatedraffish
Lessons for this word
1 lessons- A1Countable and uncountable nouns — Because it can be uncountable