rakish means dashingly, carelessly, or sportingly unconventional or stylish; jaunty; characterized by a devil-may-care unconventionality; having a somewhat disreputable quality or appearance. It carries an Arena rating of 1656, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, rakish ranks #671 of 17,116 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #1,491 of 17,123 for Most Malleable Words, #1,694 of 17,113 for Most Elegant Words, #1,968 of 17,130 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words.
rakish is pronounced /ˈɹeɪkɪʃ/.
Why “rakish” is a great word
Stylish in a dashing, unconventional, and often slightly disreputable manner. From the noun *rake* (a dissolute, immoral man) and the suffix *-ish*, carrying the trace of libertine ancestry like a family crest worn ironically on a lapel. Unlike "dapper," which suggests neat, trim, and smart stylishness without the hint of the unconventional, or "dissolute," which emphasizes moral laxity and indulgence, devoid of jaunty flair, rakish is elegance with a debt unpaid. It is a cravat tied with studied carelessness, a hat tilted at a perilous angle against a bright sky, a smile that is both an invitation and a warning—the art of making a slight deviation from the straight and narrow look like the most desirable path.
adj
- Dashingly, carelessly, or sportingly unconventional or stylish; jaunty; characterized by a devil-may-care unconventionality; having a somewhat disreputable quality or appearance.
- Like a rake; dissolute; profligate.
Words closest in meaning
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