1
as in debris
discarded or useless material
the sight of piles and piles of riffraff at the town dump was a sobering reminder that we are indeed a society of consumers
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in rabble
people looked down upon as ignorant and of the lowest class
local ordinances that are intended to keep the riffraff out of the town
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of riffraff
William is ready for the task and has no intention of being killed by rebels or any other riffraff in the forests of Virginia.
—
Lincee Ray, EW.com, 8 July 2023
There’s a gate topped with barbed wire to keep the riffraff out, and then long and winding stairs down to the sea.
—Stephen Rodrick, Variety, 13 Sep. 2023
Boba turned and scanned the alcoves again, ignoring the riffraff who stared at him, and raised his eyebrows at the sight of a familiar face.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 22 Aug. 2023
The Standard’s interior is sleek yet warm and devoid of riffraff.
—Bob Carlton | Bcarlton@al.com, al, 27 July 2023
See All Example Sentences for riffraff
Lincee Ray, EW.com, 8 July 2023
There’s a gate topped with barbed wire to keep the riffraff out, and then long and winding stairs down to the sea.
—Stephen Rodrick, Variety, 13 Sep. 2023
Boba turned and scanned the alcoves again, ignoring the riffraff who stared at him, and raised his eyebrows at the sight of a familiar face.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 22 Aug. 2023
The Standard’s interior is sleek yet warm and devoid of riffraff.
—Bob Carlton | Bcarlton@al.com, al, 27 July 2023
See All Example Sentences for riffraff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for riffraff
Noun
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The building, a five-story apartment complex located in the southern Italian city of Bari, collapsed on Wednesday, March 5 — trapping a woman, 74, beneath the debris, Wanted in Rome — an English magazine for expats in Italy — reports, citing Italian outlet ANSA.—
Rachel Raposas,
People.com,
11 Mar. 2025
-
Within seconds the tornado struck, with debris crashing on to the studio's roof.—
Faisal Kutty,
Newsweek,
11 Mar. 2025
Noun
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There was little-to-no doubt Jurgen Klopp’s side were going to defeat Ralf Rangnick’s under-interim-management rabble that day.—
Carl Anka,
The Athletic,
4 Jan. 2025
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Advertisement From start to finish, pure madness, amid a rabble that never calmed, never quieted, never quit.—
Bill Plaschke,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Oct. 2024
Noun
-
People will be painting, planting trees, spreading mulch and cleaning up garbage starting at 9 a.m.—
Sal Pizarro,
The Mercury News,
5 Mar. 2025
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Other videos on social media show people picking up food scraps from the garbage.—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
4 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The El Gigante rock shelter itself is more than 120 feet wide and 55 feet deep, and contains trash piles left by its former residents that span the last 11,000 years.—
GrrlScientist,
Forbes,
13 Mar. 2025
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In the footage, the individual pulls up to the secluded dumpster in their car and quickly dumps the cat on top of the overflowing trash receptacle.—
Gabrielle Rockson,
People.com,
13 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Hostages who have returned confirm what many feared: Hamas's actions are supported by significant portions of the Gazan populace, across generations.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
5 Feb. 2025
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Top Stories For any sentient citizen, these are examples of how media are used to influence or persuade the populace — to further an agenda or encourage a particular, biased perception.—
Armond White,
National Review,
17 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Astronomers believe ice connected to small dust grains is where most of the water in the universe can be found — and is likely where the water that created Earth’s oceans originated. SPHEREx will be able to create a map of the sky through different wavelengths of infrared light.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN,
8 Mar. 2025
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For example, biomedical scientists and clinicians trained by NIH grants are addressing locally relevant issues such as coal workers’ pneumoconiosis, commonly known as black lung disease, which occurs when coal dust is inhaled.—
Mitzi Nagarkatti,
The Conversation,
7 Mar. 2025
Noun
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But two people with knowledge of the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive internal deliberations, said Secretary of State Marco Rubio relied on a provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 that gives him sweeping power to expel foreigners.—
Minho Kim,
New York Times,
11 Mar. 2025
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Campbell was implicated and ultimately found guilty of the shooting, which left one man dead and multiple people injured, including rapper Troy Ave, whom Campbell had been embroiled in a war of words with on social media and elsewhere prior to the incident.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
10 Mar. 2025
Noun
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When the children got older [my eldest is now 38], trying to find convenient snacks that weren't full of all kinds of junk was challenging.—
Carly Mallenbaum,
Axios,
14 Mar. 2025
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For a piece in this week’s issue, Helfand speaks with all parties involved, and even visits Elvis in his current resting place, amid dusty knickknacks and towering piles of junk in an office behind a mechanic’s garage.—
Hannah Jocelyn,
The New Yorker,
14 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Riffraff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riffraff. Accessed 21 Mar. 2025.
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