rascal

noun

ras·​cal ˈra-skəl 

1

: a mean, unprincipled, or dishonest person

2

: a mischievous person or animal

rascal adjective

Synonyms

• devil
• hellion
• imp
• mischief
• monkey
• rapscallion
• rogue
• scamp
• urchin

Examples of rascal in a Sentence

Which one of you rascals woke me up?

Recent Examples on the Web

This practice of allowing councilmembers to be veritable zoning czars of their own districts doesn’t seem to have caused county residents to run the rascals out of town. —Baltimore Sun Editorial Board, Baltimore Sun, 9 Apr. 2024

The handsome cast adopted the right tone as well, with a rugged-looking Henry Cavill as Gus March-Phillipps, a rascal of a point man in possession of swagger and smarts. —Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024

With its typically Ritchie-esque ensemble of quippy rascals, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare sees the director back on more customary territory. —David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Apr. 2024

Scoundrels, rascals, caitiffs and blackguards have no place in Congress. —WSJ, 6 Dec. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Middle English rascaile, rascaille, borrowed from Anglo-French rascaille, rascail "rabble," from rasc- (perhaps from Old French —Norman and Picard— *rasquer "to scratch, scrape," going back to Vulgar Latin *rāsicāre) + -aille, collective suffix, going back to Latin -ālia — more at rash entry 1, -al entry 2

Note: Though this etymology works semantically (cf., for example, the sense development of English scum, Russian svoloč'), it is unclear if *rasquer is a possible outcome of *rāsicāre in Norman/Picard. Note that the word is exclusively Anglo-Norman in earlier Medieval French (from the twelfth century), from which it appears to have penetrated into other dialects (see Französisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, vol. 10, pp. 88-89).

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

rascal

noun

ras·​cal ˈras-kəl 

1

: a mean or dishonest person

2

: a mischievous person