rapscallion

noun

rap·scal·lion rap-ˈskal-yən

plural rapscallions

: a person who causes trouble : rascal, ne'er-do-well

If a little prince with a permissive nanny can get bumptious on occasion, a regal rapscallion without any nanny could fast become a royal pain.—People Weekly

The kidnapper is none other than the nefarious Captain Hook (Dustin Hoffman), who still hasn't gotten over the loss of his hand. That rapscallion Peter Pan is to blame, and Hook will have his revenge.—Nora Lee

Growing up, my best friends were my siblings. While we fought like only brother and sisters could fight, I was quick to defend their honor, or protect them from the rapscallion of our childhood world.—Stephanie Hill

Did you know?

The word rascal has been part of English since the 15th century, but it apparently failed to fully capture the disagreeable nature of the wily knaves of yore: by the 16th century, English speakers had expanded rascal to rascallion. But it seems that even that term didn’t sound quite mischievous enough. Eventually, rascallion was further altered, resulting in the snappier, plosive-enhanced rapscallion, which is still commonly used as a synonym for varlet, scoundrel, and rogue. And although rapscallion has zero connection with scallion, it does add a figuratively spicy kick to one’s speech, not unlike chawbacon and other cheeky insults that may be of interest and use.

Examples of rapscallion in a Sentence

the city's run-down waterfront was occupied mostly by disreputable places frequented by drunkards and rapscallions that little rapscallion kept hiding my shoes and making me go look for them

Recent Examples on the Web

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Born on Christmas in 1899, Bogart was a rapscallion from the jump despite being born into a fairly well-off family. —Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 1 Mar. 2025 Ever since her husband died from a bee sting, the matriarch has smoothly guided her octet of rapscallions through proposals, scandals, and balloon disasters. —Devon Ivie, Vulture, 14 June 2024