Meanings
rascal1
plural rascals
- A dishonest person; a rogue, a scoundrel, a trickster.
And he smote Corinius on his shaven jowl with the dice box, calling him cheat and mangy rascal, whereupon Corinius drew forth a bodkin to smite him in the neck withal; […]
1922, E[ric] R[ücker] Eddison, The Worm Ouroboros: A Romance, London: Jonathan Cape […], →OCLC, page 331 more example
Tuc[ca]. […] Can thy Author doe it impudently enough? / Hiſt[rio]. O, I warrant you, Captaine: and ſpitefully inough too; he ha's one of the moſt ouerflowing villanous wits, in Rome. He will ſlander any man that breathes; If he diſguſt him. / Tucca. I'le know the poor, egregious, nitty Raſcall; and he haue ſuch commendable Qualities, I'le cheriſh him: […]
1601, Ben Jonson, Poetaster or The Arraignment: […], London: […] [R. Bradock] for M[atthew] L[ownes] […], published 1602, →OCLC, Act IIISynonyms: villain
- often diminutivelyA cheeky person or creature; a troublemaker.
That little rascal bit me!
1 more example
If you have deer in the area, you may have to put a fence around your garden to keep the rascals out.
Synonyms: devil
comparative more rascal · superlative most rascal
Rascal2
- A surname.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA dishonest person; a rogue, a scoundrel, a trickster.
nounA cheeky person or creature; a troublemaker.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna deceitful and unreliable scoundrel
nounone who is playfully mischievous
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Vulgar Latin*rasicō“to scrape”
- Old Frenchrascaille“outcast, rabble”
- Middle Englishrascaile“people of the lowest class, rabble of an army”
- Englishrascal
Recorded since c.1330, as Middle English rascaile (“people of the lowest class, rabble of an army”), derived from 12th century Old French rascaille (“outcast, rabble”) (modern French racaille), perhaps from rasque (“mud, filth, scab, dregs”), from Vulgar Latin *rasicō (“to scrape”). The singular form is first attested in 1461; the present extended sense of "low, dishonest person" is from early 1586.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Vulgar Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic مُشَاغِب
- مُشَاغِب (mušāḡib)cheeky person
Bulgarian мошеник
- мошеник (mošenik)dishonest person
Catalan brètol, bandarra
- brètoldishonest person
- bandarradishonest person
- bordegàscheeky person
- bordegassacheeky person
Chinese Mandarin 臭小孩兒 /臭小孩儿, 小淘氣 /小淘气
- 臭小孩兒 /臭小孩儿 (chòu xiǎoháir)cheeky person
- 小淘氣 /小淘气 (xiǎotáoqì)cheeky person
- 壞蛋 /坏蛋 (huàidàn)cheeky person
Czech lump, darebák
- lumpdishonest person
- darebákdishonest person
- lotrdishonest person
- rošťákcheeky person
- uličníkcheeky person
- drzouncheeky person
- parchantcheeky person
Dutch bengel, rakker
- bengelcheeky person
- rakkercheeky person
- rekelcheeky person
- vlegelcheeky person
- deugnietcheeky person
- schoffiecheeky person
- doerakcheeky person
- gemeenpart of the common rabble
- ordinairpart of the common rabble
- vulgairpart of the common rabble
Esperanto kanajlo, fripono
- kanajlodishonest person
- friponodishonest person
- kanajlocheeky person
- friponocheeky person
- bubaĉocheeky person
Finnish kelmi, ketku
- kelmidishonest person
- ketkudishonest person
- riiviöcheeky person
- ilkiöcheeky person
- hulivilicheeky person
- vintiöcheeky person
- ilkimyscheeky person
French racaille, canaille
- racailledishonest person
- canaillecheeky person
- coquincheeky person
- crapulecheeky person
- filoucheeky person
- friponcheeky person
- fripouillecheeky person
- gredincheeky person
- scélératcheeky person
- ordinairepart of the common rabble
- roturierpart of the common rabble
- gueuxpart of the common rabble
German Gauner, Strolch
- Gaunerdishonest person
- Strolchdishonest person
- Bösewichtdishonest person
- Schurkedishonest person
- Bengelcheeky person
- Strolchcheeky person
- Schlingelcheeky person
- Frechdachscheeky person
- Lümmelcheeky person
- Rabaukecheeky person
- Rackercheeky person
Greek κατεργάρης
- κατεργάρης (katergáris)cheeky person
Hindi दुष्ट
- दुष्ट (duṣṭ)cheeky person
Hungarian gazember, csirkefogó
- gazemberdishonest person
- csirkefogócheeky person
- csibészcheeky person
Indonesian bajingan
- bajingancheeky person
Irish alfraits, alfraits
- alfraitsdishonest person
- alfraitscheeky person
- bithiúnachcheeky person
Italian briccone, canaglia
- bricconecheeky person
- canagliacheeky person
- manigoldocheeky person
Japanese 野郎
- 野郎 (yarō)cheeky person
Latin furcifer, furcifera
- furciferdishonest person
- furciferadishonest person
- verberōdishonest person
- furcifercheeky person
Māori nanakia, nauhea
- nanakiadishonest person
- nauheacheeky person
- nauwheacheeky person
- tainanakiacheeky person
Persian قالتاق
- قالتاق (qâltâq)cheeky person
Polish łajdak, łotr
- łajdakcheeky person
- łotrcheeky person
- szubrawieccheeky person
- urwischeeky person
- łobuzcheeky person
- łobuziakcheeky person
- ancymoncheeky person
- baciarcheeky person
- hołotapart of the common rabble
Portuguese pilantra, patife
- pilantradishonest person
- patifecheeky person
- canalhacheeky person
Romanian mișel, ticălos
- mișelcheeky person
- ticăloscheeky person
Russian него́дник, него́дница
- него́дник (negódnik)cheeky person
- него́дница (negódnica)cheeky person
- плут (plut)cheeky person
- плуто́вка (plutóvka)cheeky person
- шельме́ц (šelʹméc)cheeky person
- ше́льма (šélʹma)cheeky person
Scottish Gaelic slaightear, meaban
- slaighteardishonest person
- meabancheeky person
Slovak darebák, darebáčka
- darebákdishonest person
- darebáčkadishonest person
- šibalcheeky person
- nezbedníkcheeky person
- nezbednicacheeky person
Spanish pícaro, bribón
- pícarodishonest person
- bribóndishonest person
- trilóndishonest person
- canalladishonest person
- pillocheeky person
- pícarocheeky person
- granujacheeky person
Swedish lymmel, rackare
- lymmelcheeky person
- rackarecheeky person
- slyngelcheeky person
- filurcheeky person
Tamil ராஸ்கல், ராஸ்கல்
- ராஸ்கல் (rāskal)dishonest person
- ராஸ்கல் (rāskal)cheeky person
- படவா (paṭavā)cheeky person
Welsh cenau, gwalch
- cenaucheeky person
- gwalchcheeky person
Yiddish מזיק
- מזיק (mazek)cheeky person
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with rascal
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
rascal. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rascal
“rascal.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rascal. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rascal,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rascal.
Source: rascal on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.