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

Despite hand-wringing over the risk that travellers will baulk at paying higher fares, the ongoing war did not appear to ruffle feathers at the International Air Transport Association's annual conference in Rio, which ends Monday.

From Barron's ● Jun. 8, 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

When he meets adults he stares at them and takes them in, then kindly smiles and gurgles and lets them pat him, ruffle his hair, and take his face in their hands.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 26, 2025

And rather than fly under the radar, Marler took the risk of spouting his theories openly, and was arguably the most bullish at the roundtables, even managing to ruffle Carr's feathers.

From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2025

Daniel wasn’t a basilisk, didn’t have the right kind of webbed feet, definitely didn’t have a neck ruffle thing.

From "Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody" by Patrick Ness

The explosive and heart-wrenching tell-all, released this week, has reportedly ruffled feathers inside Buckingham Palace, and its not hard to imagine why.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

One of the mayor’s pledges—free bus service—has ruffled feathers at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the agency that operates the city’s bus and subway service.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

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

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

From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026

She rifles through her closet: the turquoise silk blouse with red buttons, the pale pink flowered dress with a ruffled hem.

From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper

Shriver has become known for ruffling feathers, but it wasn’t always so.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 31, 2026

President Donald Trump has a way of ruffling feathers.

From Barron's ● Jan. 23, 2026

“And, as you can see,” he said, ruffling the chin-length gray hair that has replaced his well-known long locks, “we’ve taken care of the lion’s wig.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2025

It was also a chance for Lamar to make incisive commentary within his performance without ruffling the feathers of advertisers or the NFL.

From Salon ● Feb. 10, 2025

Jonah walks over and puts his arm around her, ruffling her hair.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

Related Words

• annoy
• disturb
• irk
• rattle