riffraff

riff·raff

noun \ˈrif-ˌraf\

Definition of RIFFRAFF

1

a : disreputable persons b : rabble c : one of the riffraff

2

: refuse, rubbish

— riffraff adjective

Examples of RIFFRAFF

1. Try not to associate with that riffraff.
2. <the sight of piles and piles of riffraff at the town dump was a sobering reminder that we are indeed a society of consumers>

Origin of RIFFRAFF

Middle English ryffe raffe, from rif and raf every single one, from Anglo-French rif e raf altogether

First Known Use: 15th century

Related to RIFFRAFF

Synonyms: chaff, deadwood, debris, dreck (also drek), dross, dust, effluvium (also effluvia), junk, litter, offal, offscouring, raffle, refuse, garbage, rubbish, scrap, spilth, trash, truck, waste

Antonyms: A-list, aristocracy, elite, gentry, quality, society, upper class, upper crust

Related Words: crud, sewage, slop, swill, wash; detritus, remains, rubble, ruins; dump, scrap heap; lumber, odds and ends, trumpery; flotsam, jetsam, wreckage; castoff, cull, discard, hand-me-down, reject, throwaway; nothing, straw, two bits

Near Antonyms: catch, gem, goody (or goodie), jewel, pearl, plum, prize, treasure, treasure trove, trove, valuable; booty, find, salvage

see all synonyms and antonyms

[+]more[-]hide

Rhymes with RIFFRAFF

agrafe, bar graph, behalf, carafe, chiffchaff, cowlstaff, digraph, distaff, Falstaff, flagstaff, Flagstaff, giraffe, half-staff, horselaugh, kenaf, line graph, mooncalf, paraph, pikestaff, tipstaff