roister-doister

noun

A swaggering buffoon; a foolish braggart.

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Meanings

nounroister-doister (plural roister-doisters)

plural roister-doisters

  1. archaicderogatoryA swaggering buffoon; a foolish braggart.

    A very artificiall beginning, to moove attention or to procure good-liking in the reader, unlesse he wrote onely to roister-doisters, and hacksters, or at least to jesters, and vices.

    1593, Gabriel Harvey, Pierces Supererogation

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
roister

Origin

After Ralph Roister Doister, a 16th-century comic play by Nicholas Udall. See roister (“to engage in riotous behaviour”).

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

roister-doister. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/roister-doister

MLA

“roister-doister.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/roister-doister. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “roister-doister,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/roister-doister.

Source: roister-doister on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.