Riffraff / noun / riff · raff

If you've ever been walking down a dark street, saw a group of questionable people meandering around the street and felt the need to cross to the other side – you were probably looking at riffraff.

The word riffraff is a slang term we use for someone or something considered to be of low social standing or character. We associate the term riffraff with people considered ruffians or bad characters.

In a Sentence

I knew that he was riffraff just by looking at him getting into trouble.

My friend told me not to associate with that riffraff because they were known for causing trouble by breaking into abandoned houses in the neighborhood.

She walked away from the party with a group of riffraff after they got out of hand and started a brawl on the front lawn.

Etymology

The word riffraff is derived from the French word rifracasse, which means "rough customer." Riffraff began to be used in English around the turn of the twentieth century. We still use it to describe the undesirables and outcasts of society.

Synonym

Rabble, Scum

Antonym

Elite, High Class