thug
noun
a violent, lawless, or vicious person, especially one who commits a crime such as assault, robbery, or murder.
thuggish
-
a word derived from
thug.
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 government condemned "intimidating and thuggish behaviour" at the demonstration, while stressing the right to peaceful protest.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, for years a staunch supporter of settlers, said there was "no excuse for such thuggish behaviour".
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
But the tournament will also be remembered for a classless and churlish Argentina, which forever stained itself with a thuggish performance in the game and an ungracious one afterward.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
He calls himself a “hanok enthusiast” rather than a “hanok activist” like his predecessors, both of whom suffered injuries at the hands of thuggish property developers as they pursued the preservationist cause.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 25, 2023
Entering the nave, visitors passed by a chapel on the right-hand side that contained the mummified body of Francisco Pizarro, the romantic, thuggish Spaniard who conquered Peru in the sixteenth century.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
