as in thug
a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang
a gang of ruffians preying upon people who ventured into that section of town
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ruffian
And then there was Post Malone, the rapping, rocking everyman who has replaced Kid Rock as America’s favorite ruffian.
—
Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 17 May 2024
Read More: Fans React to Beyoncé's New Album Cowboy Carter
Once seen as ruffians and pushed to the outskirts of Victorian society, cowboys were reinvented as rugged cultural heroes in the American consciousness in the early 20th century through dime novels, rodeos, movies, and more.
—TIME, 12 Apr. 2024
The building, erected in 1915 as the Rieger Hotel, served traveling salesmen, railroad ruffians and gangsters in the early 20th Century.
—David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 11 Apr. 2024
Despite their reputation as ruffians from the sticks, RSF troops are battle tested, disciplined, and armed to the teeth.
—Alex De Waal, Foreign Affairs, 27 Apr. 2023
See All Example Sentences for ruffian
Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 17 May 2024
Read More: Fans React to Beyoncé's New Album Cowboy Carter
Once seen as ruffians and pushed to the outskirts of Victorian society, cowboys were reinvented as rugged cultural heroes in the American consciousness in the early 20th century through dime novels, rodeos, movies, and more.
—TIME, 12 Apr. 2024
The building, erected in 1915 as the Rieger Hotel, served traveling salesmen, railroad ruffians and gangsters in the early 20th Century.
—David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 11 Apr. 2024
Despite their reputation as ruffians from the sticks, RSF troops are battle tested, disciplined, and armed to the teeth.
—Alex De Waal, Foreign Affairs, 27 Apr. 2023
See All Example Sentences for ruffian
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruffian
Noun
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This haunting film was also his first collaboration with Hellboy’s Ron Perlman, who plays a thug out to get the beetle for his rich uncle.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
17 Oct. 2025
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In The Big Lebowski, thugs mistake the titular slacker (Bridges) for the wealthy Jeffrey Lebowski, sending him on a wild investigation with his pal Walter (John Goodman) into a ransom plot involving Lebowski’s young wife (Tara Reid).—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Yet if the Dodgers are to be cast as villains from the Book of Samuel, Toronto brought to the fight far more than pebbles.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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The family moved to Hollywood 10 years later, and Gene Lockhart worked steadily as a character actor, usually in avuncular roles, sometimes as a villain.—
NPR,
NPR,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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To suggest that another candidate’s supporters are criminals — particularly when that candidate is, by all measures, poised to win at least a plurality of votes in the city — does not seem like a recipe for earning New Yorkers’ support.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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Binance also lacked protocols — standard for financial services companies — to report transactions for money laundering risks, according to the Justice Department, and employees were well aware that such an oversight would invite criminals to the platform.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In classical antiquity, the mountainous region was notorious for bandits; in modern times, blood feuds among clans were rife.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Oct. 2025
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Shortly after the museum opened on Sunday morning, two bandits used a lift on a truck to break into its Galerie d'Apollon, which houses the French crown jewels and other treasures, through a second-floor window.—
NPR,
NPR,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The other is about Chicago-style gangsters circa 1929.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
20 Oct. 2025
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Yes, there are gangster films, the crime movies, and then there’s The Wolf of Wall Street, which is a really profound piece of work.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Maybe Charles went on to become a famous nephrologist, or part of the Christian-pirate community, or both.—
Sam Lipsyte,
New Yorker,
19 Oct. 2025
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Treasure Island had a pirate show, and the Mirage had this volcano show.—
Ashley J. DiMella,
FOXNews.com,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Pursued by brutal mercenaries and a deadly assassin, the trio must navigate twists, betrayals and historical secrets buried deep in Europe’s past.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
22 Oct. 2025
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Mistaken for the world’s deadliest assassin, Ben becomes the perfect decoy for Eden.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Believe it or not, this extra step is enough to make most thieves move on to easier prey.—
Katie Jackson,
Travel + Leisure,
26 Oct. 2025
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Police were racing the clock to find the intruders; experts say thieves of such treasures typically dismantle or melt down the loot, sometimes within hours, to avoid being caught.—
Robert Abitbol,
USA Today,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ruffian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruffian. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025.
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