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:

   street arab, 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

Example Sentences

How this riff-drunk ragamuffin, who turns 82 on Dec. 18, not only survived but stayed relevant is a mystery, a puzzle wrapped inside a guitar string.

From The Wall Street Journal

To some, he was a rollicking drifter in ragamuffin punk tatters.

From BBC

How could we still be cute ragamuffins, or sensationalized versions of Eagles fans past, if after NFC championship blowouts we run down Broad Street and climb light poles?

From Los Angeles Times

It was the late 1970s, punk was sliding into new wave, and Leonard and her friends, including the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, were, by Leonard’s account, “wild little ragamuffin children.”

From New York Times

Despite the scorn of critics, paintings of ragamuffins with giant staring eyes, some holding a kitten or puppy, mostly signed just “Keane,” appeared in cocktail lounges and suburban homes across America.

From New York Times