rakehell

/'reikhel/

Thân thiện

A dandy in a velvet coat is known as a rakehell at the club.

Definition

Noun: A rakehell is a man, particularly one in fashionable or high society, who lives in a wild, immoral, and irresponsible way, often characterized by excessive drinking, gambling, and promiscuity. The term is archaic and carries a strong connotation of dissolute and reckless behavior.

Usage

The word rakehell is used to describe a man of dissolute character. It is an old-fashioned, literary term. * It functions as a countable noun. * It is typically used in historical or literary contexts to describe a character type.

Examples

• In the 18th-century novel, the protagonist's brother was a notorious rakehell, constantly embroiled in scandals.
• The old portraits in the manor depicted a former lord who was known as a rakehell and a gambler.
• He squandered his family's fortune living the life of a rakehell.

Advanced Usage

• The term can sometimes be used with a degree of romanticized or grudging admiration for the character's defiance of social norms, though it primarily denotes disapproval.
• It is often synonymous with the shorter term rake.

Variants and Related Words

• Rake (noun): A more common and slightly less archaic synonym for a dissolute man of fashion.
• Rakehelly (adjective, archaic): Having the qualities of a rakehell; dissolute.
  • His rakehelly behavior eventually led to his ruin.

Synonyms

• Libertine
• Debauchee
• Roué
• Profligate
• Hedonist

Antonyms

• Prude
• Ascetic
• Puritan

Học thuật

Noun

1. a dissolute man in fashionable society

Từ đồng nghĩa

• rake
• profligate
• rip
• blood
• roue