noun
rascal
RAS-kul/ˈræskl/
A mischievous or dishonest person, often regarded with playful affection.
The rascal startles his friend with a rubber spider.
Etymology
Rascaille named a crowd contemptuously as rabble; rascal applied that contempt to an individual considered low or dishonest. The insult also came to be used lightly, allowing the sense of a mischievous person.
In context
Did that little rascal skip his classes again?
More examples
- He called the grinning child a rascal.
- That rascal tricked me into paying twice.
- The story follows a charming but dishonest rascal.
Forms
rascal · rascals
rascally adjective — mischievous or dishonest
Similar words
- rogue
- Can sound more adventurous or roguishly charming.
- scamp
- Usually playful, often applied to a mischievous child.