riffraff

riff·raff
R1I1F4F4R1A1F4F4
/ˈɹɪfɹæf/

noun

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.”

Similar
canaillecommonalitycommonaltycrowdcommonagedemoseveryonegeneral public
OriginOld French rif →
UncommonScrabble 20
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Meanings

nounriffraff (usually uncountable, plural riffraffs)

plural riffraffs · alternative riff-raff

  1. derogatoryinformaluncountableusuallyThe 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.

    2 more examples

    Agent Beeman (Noah Emmerich): I think we got him. / Special Agent Gaad (Richard Thomas): Who? / Agent Beeman: I-I-I don't know. The guy who killed Chris, the--the Russians, the whole damn thing maybe. / Special Agent Gaad: You want to sit down? / Agent Beeman: The guy from the salvage yard who hocked the ring, and he does business with some riffraff from the projects.

    2013, “Only You” (20:08 from the start), in The Americans, season 1, episode 10

    Mom: [Walks away with King Pridemoor.] / King Knight: 'MOM, WAIT! ..... MOM!! *SIGH* WELL, FINALLY, THE RIFF-RAFF... AND MY MOM, ARE GONE.'

    2019 December 10, Yacht Club Games, Shovel Knight: King of Cards, Nintendo 3DS, scene: ending

    Synonyms: canaille, commonality, commonalty, crowd, commonage, demos, everyone, general public

  2. informaluncountableusuallySweepings; refuse.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe rabble; crowds; people of a low, disreputable or undesirable class or position.

Similar
canaillecommonalitycommonaltycrowdcommonagedemoseveryonegeneral publicgreat unhosedgreat unwashedherdhoi polloilower classmanymassesmobmultitudeodds and sodspeasantryplebs

More synonyms by meaning

noundisparaging terms for the common people

Similar
rabbleragtagragtag and bobtail
Broader
folkfolkscommon people
Also see
commonaltydregslumpenproletariatrabbleragtag

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Old Frenchrif
  2. Englishriffraff

From 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”).

More words from Old French

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek σύρφαξ, συρφετός
  • σύρφαξ (súrphax)the rabble
  • συρφετός (surphetós)the rabble
Arabic رَعَاع
  • رَعَاع (raʕāʕ)the rabble
Catalan gentalla, trepa
  • gentallathe rabble
  • trepathe rabble
Chinese Mandarin 廢物 /废物, 賤民 /贱民
  • 廢物 /废物 (fèiwù)the rabble
  • 賤民 /贱民 (jiànmín)the rabble
  • 下等人 (xiàděngrén)the rabble
  • 流氓 (liúmáng)the rabble
  • 烏合之眾 /乌合之众 (wūhézhīzhòng)the rabble
Czech lůza, chátra
  • lůzathe rabble
  • chátrathe rabble
  • sebrankathe rabble
  • pakážthe rabble
Danish pøbel, pak
  • pøbelthe rabble
  • pakthe rabble
Dutch geteisem, schorremorrie
  • geteisemthe rabble
  • schorremorriethe rabble
  • tuigthe rabble
  • rapaljethe rabble
  • gepeupelthe rabble
Estonian rahvarämps
  • rahvarämpsthe rabble
Finnish rahvas, roskaväki
  • rahvasthe rabble
  • roskaväkithe rabble
French racaille, populace
  • racaillethe rabble
  • populacethe rabble
  • canaillethe rabble
  • plèbethe rabble
  • massesthe rabble
  • tout-venantthe rabble
  • commun des mortelsthe rabble
German Pöbel, Plebs
  • Pöbelthe rabble
  • Plebsthe rabble
  • gemeines Volkthe rabble
Greek αληταρία
  • αληταρία (alitaría)the rabble
Icelandic pakk, skríll
  • pakkthe rabble
  • skríllthe rabble
  • illþýðithe rabble
Irish sloigisc, gramaisc
  • sloigiscthe rabble
  • gramaiscthe rabble
  • daoscarthe rabble
Italian tamarro, lazzarone
  • tamarrothe rabble
  • lazzaronethe rabble
  • coattothe rabble
Japanese 下層民, 下層階級
  • 下層民 (kasōmin)the rabble
  • 下層階級 (kasō kaikyū)the rabble
  • 有象無象 (uzō muzō)the rabble
Portuguese gentalha, ralé
  • gentalhathe rabble
  • raléthe rabble
Romanian plebe, gloată
  • plebethe rabble
  • gloatăthe rabble
Russian че́рнь, сбро́д
  • че́рнь (čérnʹ)the rabble
  • сбро́д (sbród)the rabble
  • бы́дло (býdlo)the rabble
Slovak chamraď, zberba
  • chamraďthe rabble
  • zberbathe rabble
  • bagážthe rabble
Spanish gentuza, gentualla
  • gentuzathe rabble
  • gentuallathe rabble
  • flaitethe rabble
  • chusmathe rabble
  • gente de baja estofathe rabble
  • glebathe rabble
  • picanteríothe rabble
Swedish pöbel, kreti och pleti
  • pöbelthe rabble
  • kreti och pletithe rabble
  • patraskthe rabble
  • packthe rabble
Turkish ayaktakımı
  • ayaktakımıthe rabble
Welsh poblach, gwehilion
  • poblachthe rabble
  • gwehilionthe rabble
Cite this entry
APA

riffraff. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/riffraff

MLA

“riffraff.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/riffraff. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “riffraff,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/riffraff.

Source: riffraff on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.