ruffian
[ruhf-ee-uh n, ruhf-yuh n]
- a tough, lawless person; roughneck; bully.
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- Also ruf·fi·an·ly. tough; lawless; brutal.
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Origin of ruffian
Synonyms
See more synonyms for ruffian on Thesaurus.com1. brute, tough, knave, rogue, blackguard.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for ruffian
Contemporary Examples
We know the governor, despite his popularity and his toe-dips into bipartisanship, has a reputation as a ruffian.
Historical Examples
It will be seen that I treat of the Thief and Ruffian as one.
The Uncommercial TravellerCharles Dickens
The Ruffian becomes one of the established orders of the body politic.
The Uncommercial TravellerCharles Dickens
I demand to have the Ruffian kept out of my way, and out of the way of all decent people.
The Uncommercial TravellerCharles Dickens
I certainly was bound by no law to allow a ruffian to cut me down, unresisting.
The Room in the Dragon VolantJ. Sheridan LeFanu
It is you're the ruffian to him, snubbing him when he speaks good-naturedly to you.
The Macdermots of BallycloranAnthony Trollope
ruffian
- a violent or lawless person; hoodlum or villain
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Word Origin
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
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Word Origin and History for ruffian
n.
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.).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper