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ruffianism

[ ruhf-ee-uh-niz-uhm, ruhf-yuh- ]

/ ˈrʌf i əˌnɪz əm, ˈrʌf yə- /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR ruffianism ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

conduct befitting a ruffian.

ruffian character.

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having or claiming to have the power of seeing objects or actions beyond the range of natural vision.

mild or merciful in disposition or character; lenient; compassionate.

favorite; cherished.

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Origin of ruffianism

First recorded in 1585–95; ruffian + -ism

Words nearby ruffianism

ruff, ruffe, ruffed, ruffed grouse, ruffian, ruffianism, Ruffini's corpuscle, ruffle, ruffled, ruffler, ruffle someone's feathers

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for ruffianism

Your Lordships have seen, in the evidence, what this ruffianism was.
The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. XII. (of XII.)|Edmund Burke
Much has been said of the ruffianism that our newly established commerce on the Yangtsze Kiang has let loose on the great river.
The Siberian Overland Route from Peking to Petersburg,|Alexander Michie
The ruffianism of these scoundrels did not allow them even to apologize for their crime.
Thirteen Months in the Rebel Army|William G. Stevenson
What survived of courage assumed the forms of ruffianism, ferocity and treasonable daring.
Renaissance in Italy: Italian Literature|John Addington Symonds

The Preparatory Schools of Ruffianism are similarly borne with.
The Uncommercial Traveller|Charles Dickens

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