ruddy
Americanadjective
-
of or having a fresh, healthy red color.
a ruddy complexion.
-
red or reddish.
-
British Slang. damned.
a ruddy fool.
adverb
adjective
-
(of the complexion) having a healthy reddish colour, usually resulting from an outdoor life
-
coloured red or pink
a ruddy sky
adverb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of ruddy
before 1100; Middle English rudi, Old English rudig. See rudd, -y 1
Explanation
Ruddy is used to describe something that is reddish — like the color of red hair, tomatoes, or a friend's cheeks on a cold winter's day. Ruddy is commonly used to describe someone's complexion. In this case, it describes a healthy, reddish glow. If you're normally pale, your skin might have a ruddy tone from working outside. You may hear someone use ruddy as a negative adjective, as well. In Britain it is a substitute for words like bloody or darn: "The ruddy door is stuck again. I'm going to take an axe to it!"
Vocabulary lists containing ruddy
List 7
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A Thousand Splendid Suns
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100 Great Words from "Fahrenheit 451" -- Part I Vocabulary
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Tracing lipstick’s ruddy arc across the years, we can see how wildly its meanings diverge.
From Salon • Feb. 19, 2026
Training her sights on a ruddy Sean Penn, Glaser remarked on Hollywood’s obsession with looking younger.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 12, 2026
That makes “Folktales” decidedly more powdery than densely packed — it’s all ruddy cheeks, slo-mo camaraderie and the healing power of steering a dog sled through breathtaking terrain.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 1, 2025
The neighbor was a man in his early 40s, slim with jet-black hair, narrow eyes, and ruddy skin.
From Slate • Feb. 10, 2025
The town cast its light across the water, the ruddy embers slipping across the waves.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
