ruffian
Americannoun
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ruffian
1525–35; < Middle French < Italian ruffiano, perhaps < Langobardic *hruf scurf + Italian -ano -an
Explanation
A ruffian is a bully, someone who is violent toward others. Maybe they had a bad childhood, or perhaps they like the sound of people in pain. No matter where they come from, ruffians are best avoided. Soccer fans have a reputation for being ruffians. Sure, some are sensitive poetry-reading types, but the ones that get the most attention scream obscenities, break things, and fight each other. Ruffian comes from a Germanic word that literally translates as “scabbiness,” and perhaps ruffians are covered in scabs from all the fights they start. Sometimes a ruffian is a person involved in crime, however, the word is always used to describe someone who’s a cruel, violent jerk.
Vocabulary lists containing ruffian
"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 1–7
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Hamilton
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Treasure Island
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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.
The trial heard him described as a "ruffian" and a "street waif" who never stood still.
From BBC ● Jan. 27, 2025
In America, he's a ruffian who hunts with a bow and arrow.
From Salon ● Sep. 10, 2023
Belisle’s imagined Shiffler is no ruffian, but a well-spoken, humble youth who wants only to care for his family and win the hand of Irene Freeman, a blue-eyed Catholic orphan.
From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2021
Old Town Music Hall James Cagney’s knockout performance as a deranged ruffian with a bit of an Oedipus complex ignites director Raoul Walsh’s highly influential 1949 gangster classic White Heat.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2018
“Your friend, the ruffian, is here. And you know that's against the rules.”
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
