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
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.
Did Mr. Ruddy feed him this fake news?
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 25, 2025
Trump’s criticism came in response to comments made by Christopher Ruddy, the chief executive of conservative news outlet Newsmax Inc.
From MarketWatch • Nov. 24, 2025
Ruddy gave thanks to his family, the cast of “Million” — Eastwood, Morgan Freeman and Hilary Swank — then also thanked Anjelica Huston, who’d introduced him to the works of F.X.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 28, 2025
Despite the denial, sources told Mediaite Ruddy was “shook.”
From Salon • Dec. 11, 2024
When we came back in, some guy was walkin’ down the hall with our janitors, Mr. Lumas and Mr. Ruddy.
From "Because of Mr. Terupt" by Rob Buyea
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.
