ragamuffin

American  

[rag-uh-muhf-in] / ˈræg əˌmʌf ɪn /

noun

1. a ragged, disreputable person; tatterdemalion.

2. a child in ragged, ill-fitting, dirty clothes.

   Synonyms:

   guttersnipe, urchin, waif

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ragamuffin British  

/ ˈræɡəˌmʌfɪn /

noun

1. a ragged unkempt person, esp a child

2. another name for ragga

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Etymology

Origin of ragamuffin

1350–1400; Middle English Ragamoffyn, name of a demon in the poem Piers Plowman

Explanation

Use the word ragamuffin to affectionately tease your friend who shows up late to brunch with messy hair, dark circles under her eyes, and her shirt on backwards. In essence, you are calling her a shabbily clad street urchin. Now a generally playful and affectionate term indicating dishevelment, ragamuffin came into existence in the mid-14th century with a more punishing connotation. Derived in part from the word ragged, then used to refer to the devil’s shaggy appearance, it has also historically been used to describe a lazy and worthless, or beggarly individual. Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable provides a helpful and quirky explanation for the word: “A muffin is a poor thing of a creature, a 'regular muff'; so that a ragamuffin is a sorry creature in rags.”

Example Sentences

With 73 cat breeds recognized by the International Cat Association, it can be difficult to discern a Ragdoll from a Ragamuffin.

From National Geographic • Oct. 27, 2023

One of the big events at Ragamuffin week is the rodeo.

From BBC • Sep. 28, 2018

This morning celebrated sailor Adrienne Cahalan crossed the line aboard Ragamuffin to become the first woman to compete in 25 Sydney to Hobart yacht races.

From The Guardian • Dec. 29, 2016

As the leaders headed into the Bass Strait, Syd Fischer's Ragamuffin 100 was in third place but conditions are predicted to change dramatically as the field moves south.

From Reuters • Dec. 27, 2015

With much effort and interest he contrived to get himself elected a Ragamuffin; believing that to be a Ragmuffin was to secure a position as a dramatic writer.

From Charlotte's Inheritance by Braddon, M. E. (Mary Elizabeth)