riffraff Definition
- 1disreputable or undesirable people
- 2waste or debris
Using riffraff: Examples
Take a moment to familiarize yourself with how "riffraff" can be used in various situations through the following examples!
Example
The club was full of riffraff and troublemakers.
Example
She refused to associate with the riffraff of the town.
Example
The beach was littered with riffraff and garbage.
Example
The hotel staff cleared away the riffraff from the lobby.
riffraff Synonyms and Antonyms
Antonyms for riffraff
Idioms Using riffraff
Example
The admissions committee had to sort out the riffraff from the qualified applicants.
to reduce the quality or standards of something by allowing disreputable or undesirable elements to be included
Example
The school's decision to lower the riffraff by admitting unqualified students was widely criticized.
Example
She was warned not to mix with the riffraff at the party, but she ignored the advice.
Phrases with riffraff
Example
The new management decided to kick out the riffraff and attract a more upscale clientele.
Example
The police were called in to deal with the riffraff element that had gathered outside the concert venue.
riffraffy
having the characteristics or qualities of riffraff
Example
The bar had a riffraffy atmosphere, with loud music and rowdy patrons.
Origins of riffraff
from Old French 'rif et raf', meaning 'every last scrap'
Summary: riffraff in Brief
'Riffraff' [ˈrɪfraf] refers to disreputable or undesirable people, as well as waste or debris. It can be used to describe people or things, such as 'The beach was littered with riffraff and garbage.' The term also appears in idioms like 'sort out the riffraff,' which means to separate the desirable from the undesirable elements of a group.
