ruffle

¹ American  

[ruhf-uhl] / ˈrʌf əl /

verb (used with object)

ruffled, ruffling

1. to destroy the smoothness or evenness of.

   The wind ruffled the sand.

   Synonyms:

   rumple, wrinkle, disorder, disarrange

   Antonyms:

   order, arrange, smooth

2. to erect (the feathers), as a bird in anger.

3. to disturb, vex, or irritate.

   to be ruffled by a perceived slight.

   Synonyms:

   agitate, annoy, upset

   Antonyms:

   compose, soothe

4. to turn (the pages of a book) rapidly.

5. to pass (cards) through the fingers rapidly in shuffling.

6. to draw up (cloth, lace, etc.) into a ruffle by gathering along one edge.

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verb (used without object)

ruffled, ruffling

1. to be or become ruffled; undulate; flutter.

   Flags ruffle in the wind.

2. to be or become vexed or irritated.

3. to put on airs; swagger.

noun

1. a break in the smoothness or evenness of some surface; undulation.

   Synonyms:

   vexation, trial, headache, aggravation

2. a strip of cloth, lace, etc., drawn up by gathering along one edge and used as a trimming on a dress, blouse, etc.

   Synonyms:

   ruff, frill

3. some object resembling this, as the ruff of a bird.

4. disturbance or vexation; annoyance; irritation.

   It is impossible to live without some daily ruffles to our composure.

   Antonyms:

   joy, delight

5. a disturbed state of mind; perturbation.

ruffle ² American  

[ruhf-uhl] / ˈrʌf əl /

noun

1. a low, continuous beating of a drum.

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verb (used with object)

ruffled, ruffling

1. to beat (a drum) in this manner.

ruffle ¹ British  

/ ˈrʌfəl /

verb

1. to make, be, or become irregular or rumpled

   to ruffle a child's hair

   a breeze ruffling the water

2. to annoy, irritate, or be annoyed or irritated

3. (tr) to make into a ruffle; pleat

4. (of a bird) to erect (its feathers) in anger, display, etc

5. (tr) to flick (cards, pages, etc) rapidly with the fingers

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noun

1. an irregular or disturbed surface

2. a strip of pleated material used for decoration or as a trim

3. zoology another name for ruff 1

4. annoyance or irritation

ruffle ² British  

/ ˈrʌfəl /

noun

1. a low continuous drumbeat

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verb

1. (tr) to beat (a drum) with a low repetitive beat

ruffle ³ British  

/ ˈrʌfəl /

verb

1. archaic (intr) to behave riotously or arrogantly; swagger

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Other Word Forms

• ruffler
  noun
• ruffly
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of ruffle¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English verb ruffelen, ruflen; origin uncertain; perhaps cognate with Low German ruffelen “to crumple, rumple,” Old Norse hruffa “to scratch”

Origin of ruffle²

First recorded in 1690–1700; archaic ruff in same sense (perhaps imitative) + -le

Explanation

A ruffle is a pleated piece of decorative fabric often used as trim on clothes, like the ruffles on a pirate’s shirt. To ruffle is to make someone lose their composure. Argh. The word ruffle is mysterious, but it might be from the Low German word ruffelen which means "to wrinkle." A ruffle on the bottom of a dress is like a fancy wrinkle. To ruffle someone is to upset them, and they’ll need to get straightened out. Often, this word is used in the expression "ruffle their feathers." Hearing bad news will ruffle most people's feathers. An unruffled person and an unruffled shirt will both be smoother.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ruffle ruffled ruffling

Data centers serve that purpose nicely: Like all large-scale building projects, they ruffle local feathers; and their purpose, unlike an airport or a shopping center, requires explanation and so lends itself to conspiratorial Facebook posting.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026

Yet it probably won’t be enough to ruffle feathers on Wall Street, especially with investors focused on Iran.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 10, 2026

Nothing seems to ruffle his fur as this political veteran glides from crisis to crisis with feline calm, and the lick of a paw.

From Barron's ● Feb. 15, 2026

Rachel has already admitted she is "nervous" that Fiona could "ruffle a few feathers" - especially as she voted out traitor Hugo on Friday's episode.

From BBC ● Jan. 7, 2026

She reached for him again, as if she might ruffle his hair the way she had when he was younger, before stopping herself.

From "We'll Fly Away" by Bryan Bliss

Cheaper and faster models coming from developers in China -- particularly from DeepSeek and Moonshot -- have ruffled feathers, and raised concerns about intellectual property theft, in the US.

From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026

Aggressive measures to slow the spread of the infection have ruffled feathers, but they appear to be working.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026

Each had various degrees of success but two of them ruffled feathers.

From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026

Although she was dressed in a ruffled, all-white dress, they thankfully did not get married on the spot.

From Salon ● Jun. 12, 2026

Boo’s feathers ruffled when he mentioned the Council.

From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi

The results are flaky rows of delicate porcelain that resemble oversize scales or ruffling coral.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

He has enjoyed ruffling feathers during his time at Holyrood.

From BBC ● Mar. 22, 2026

President Donald Trump has a way of ruffling feathers.

From Barron's ● Jan. 23, 2026

There are some noises — like the ruffling of popcorn or the crunch of candy bags — we just can’t avoid.

From Salon ● Jan. 1, 2025

Mrs. Kuen stroked the wood like a fond mother ruffling her child’s hair.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Related Words

• annoy
• disturb
• irk
• rattle