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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
And America’s democratic allies, who well understand the importance of U.S. democratic leadership to the global cause of freedom, have been badly shaken by the images of ruffians rampaging through the world’s most powerful democratic assembly
Get unlimited access to all Foreign Affairs.
—Larry Diamond, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2021
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
And America’s democratic allies, who well understand the importance of U.S. democratic leadership to the global cause of freedom, have been badly shaken by the images of ruffians rampaging through the world’s most powerful democratic assembly
Get unlimited access to all Foreign Affairs.
—Larry Diamond, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2021
See All Example Sentences for ruffian
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruffian
Noun
-
The story focuses on two figures, a school principal and a thug.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2025
-
Resist this madness before the unhinged, heartless bully and his spellbound thugs shred our Constitution and our future.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The Grizzlies were a gritty team by nature, and Brooks was indeed a villain.—
Kelly Iko,
New York Times,
1 May 2025
-
With its ability to grow through asphalt and structural material, survive up to 20 years in total darkness and uproot the foundation of homes, Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica) could be the villain in a horror movie.—
Martha Proctor,
Mercury News,
1 May 2025
Noun
-
As the Trump administration continues deporting alleged criminals without due process, John Oliver can’t help but worry for who’s next.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
4 May 2025
-
She's seen meeting with fellow criminals and loading a gun in the teaser.—
Caroline Blair,
People.com,
2 May 2025
Noun
-
Castillo, a Peruvian national, and his accomplices were considered international bandits and wanted on several continents, according to the Los Angeles Times coverage of their trial, which lasted more than five months.—
Taryn Luna,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Apr. 2025
-
The caps proved popular with dockworkers, shipwrights and bandits, and, over time, the baker boy hat became synonymous with the newsboy cap (which was actually worn by boys working at newsstands).—
Rosa Rahimi,
CNN Money,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
As is the norm in the ’90s, L.A. rapper Tone Loc is part of the cast as a gangster from around the way named Frog.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
9 May 2025
-
In 1979, when Carmine Galante, the head of the Bonanno crime family, was killed, the photographer Hal Goldenberg hoofed it up onto a roof in Brooklyn to get a shot of the gangster’s cooling corpse.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
5 May 2025
Noun
-
The show will happen in a 60,000 square foot arena with Crimson and Sapphire pirates battling on deck, in the water, and in the sky above full-sized pirate ships.—
Abigail Wilt,
Southern Living,
2 May 2025
-
However, for years, they were believed to be pirate ships, the museum said in a news release.—
Amarachi Orie,
CNN Money,
2 May 2025
Noun
-
Mistaken for the world’s deadliest assassin, Ben becomes the perfect decoy for Eden.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
29 Apr. 2025
-
Much more disturbing than the scenes of pint-size assassins wreaking havoc (or emerging bloody from a birth sack in the Grand Guignol climax) are the toxic emotions that inspired them.—
A.A. Dowd,
Vulture,
28 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Last year, thieves used explosives to break into the MPV Gallery in Oisterwijk.—
Lillian Ali,
Smithsonian Magazine,
30 Apr. 2025
-
Residents complain of thieves roaming the streets after dusk.—
Sophie Neiman,
Christian Science Monitor,
30 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ruffian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruffian. Accessed 15 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share