ruffian

[ruhf-ee-uhn, ruhf-yuhn]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ruffian ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a tough, lawless person; roughneck; bully.

adjective

Also ruf·fi·an·ly. tough; lawless; brutal.

Origin of ruffian

1525–35; < Middle French < Italian ruffiano, perhaps < Langobardic *hruf scurf + Italian -ano -an

Synonyms for ruffian

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ruffian ON THESAURUS.COM

1. brute, tough, knave, rogue, blackguard.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for ruffian

goon, delinquent, troublemaker, bully, gangster, punk, hooligan, rowdy, brute, mobster, thug, criminal, hood, rioter

Examples from the Web for ruffian

Contemporary Examples of ruffian

We know the governor, despite his popularity and his toe-dips into bipartisanship, has a reputation as a ruffian.
Is Chris Christie from Jersey or Jupiter?
Kevin Bleyer
January 19, 2014

Historical Examples of ruffian

It will be seen that I treat of the Thief and Ruffian as one.
The Uncommercial Traveller
Charles Dickens
The Ruffian becomes one of the established orders of the body politic.
The Uncommercial Traveller
Charles Dickens
I demand to have the Ruffian kept out of my way, and out of the way of all decent people.
The Uncommercial Traveller
Charles Dickens
I certainly was bound by no law to allow a ruffian to cut me down, unresisting.
The Room in the Dragon Volant
J. Sheridan LeFanu
It is you're the ruffian to him, snubbing him when he speaks good-naturedly to you.
The Macdermots of Ballycloran
Anthony Trollope

British Dictionary definitions for ruffian

ruffian

noun

a violent or lawless person; hoodlum or villain

Derived Formsruffianism, nounruffianly, adjective

Word Origin for ruffian

C16: from Old French rufien, from Italian ruffiano, perhaps related to Langobardic hruf scurf, scabbiness

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for ruffian

1530s, "a boisterous, brutal fellow, one ready to commit any crime," from Middle French rufian "a pimp" (15c.), from Italian ruffiano "a pander, pimp," of uncertain origin, perhaps from a Germanic source related to rough (adj.), but Dutch roffiaan, German Ruffian are said to be from French. English meaning might have been influenced by similarity of sound to rough. Related: Ruffianly.

The Romanic words (e.g. Medieval Latin ruffianus, Provençal rufian, Catalan rufia, Spanish rufian) preserve the sense of "protector or owner of whores." For sense evolution in English, cf. bully (n.).