Meaning & use
rapscallion
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Meanings
nouncountableold-fashionedhumorous
A mischievous person, often a child or a rogue, whose bad behavior is treated as amusing rather than serious.
Grammar: Often used about a naughty child or a charming rogue.
Patterns
- you little rapscallion
The little rapscallion hid my keys again.
Grandpa laughed and called the boys a pair of rapscallions.
The pirate in the story was a lovable rapscallion.
nouncountableliterarydisapproving
A dishonest or unprincipled person, a scoundrel.
Grammar: A stronger, more critical sense found in older writing.
Patterns
- a rapscallion and a thief
The innkeeper was a rapscallion who watered the ale.
The novel features a rapscallion who cheats the villagers.
The sheriff chased the rapscallion across three counties.
Word forms
| plural | rapscallions |
|---|
Common combinations
- a lovable rapscallion
- He played a lovable rapscallion in the film.
- you little rapscallion
- You little rapscallion, give me that cookie!
- band of rapscallions
- A band of rapscallions raided the orchard.
- a charming rapscallion
- The charming rapscallion talked his way out of trouble.
- a rapscallion at heart
- He is a rapscallion at heart.
Synonyms and how they differ
- rascal
- Rascal is the milder, more common word, while rapscallion is more colorful and old-fashioned.
- scamp
- Scamp is usually a playful word for a child and is gentler than rapscallion.
- scoundrel
- Scoundrel is serious and describes a dishonest person without any affection.
- rogue
- Rogue suggests a charming wrongdoer and is less comic than rapscallion.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: rapscallion or scallion?
rapscallion vs scallion
A scallion is a green onion; the word only looks like part of rapscallion.
Practice
Which word would a grandparent most likely use affectionately for a naughty child?
Choose one answer.
Rapscallion is a playful, affectionate word for a mischievous person. Villain is harsher, so it is a tempting but wrong choice.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “rapscallion”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.