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

The garments that they could not find, such as Bessette’s wedding dress, her rehearsal dinner dress and a tan and black ruffle coat from Yamamoto, they re-created using historical images and input from the designers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

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

The loss did not ruffle Catan's feathers, however.

From Barron's ● Feb. 24, 2026

Jon grinned and reached under the table to ruffle the shaggy white fur.

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin

Because in his time as a resident and elected official, he’s ruffled some feathers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 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

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

Seeing the ruffled shirts Gracy made for Andrew Jackson, a guest at the Hermitage wrote, “Her needlework was unexcelled.”

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

Award show producers seemed to scramble for hosts that didn’t already have a record of ruffling feathers and could, at the bare minimum, garner a few chuckles from the crowd.

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026

Indeed, the very ethos of the museum — if you have an emotional connection to something, then it’s art — has been ruffling feathers since its focus on so-called narrative art was announced long ago.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

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

Those girls’ whispers faded away as I ate, the sound like wind ruffling marsh grass.

From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce

Related Words

• annoy
• disturb
• irk
• rattle