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
-
There’s no dearth of evil Imperial thugs in Andor — however, one character who seems to exist in a complicated moral gray is Lonni Jung (Robert Emms), a fellow ISB officer who attends Partagaz’s closed-door briefings alongside Dedra but relays the Empire’s plans to Luthen in secret.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Vulture,
21 Apr. 2025
-
Speaking of the stand: The prosecution’s main witness changes her damning testimony against Gomez when one of his thugs — the same guy that was trying to get Noah to get in his car — arrives in court and glares menacingly from the back row.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
17 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The filmmaker released a 15-second preview of the trailer, featuring footage of a battle between Superman and a mechanized villain named the Hammer of Boravia.—
Michileen Martin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 May 2025
-
Frey was the Game of Thrones villain who orchestrated that show’s infamous Red Wedding, a premeditated and highly violent attack on a large group of people that took place during a wedding reception.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
13 May 2025
Noun
-
By the way, none of us is a criminal, as hacking is not a crime.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2025
-
Manson was a petty criminal who had been in and out of jail since childhood.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
18 May 2025
Noun
-
Corridos have long been used to tell stories in Mexico, sometimes recounting the exploits of bandits and outlaws.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2025
-
After listening in on the meeting, Nanette offers to help identify the bandits using Kabir’s complaint log.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
11 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Locomotive, which is currently in Cannes with pics such as gangster comedy Café 404 and Richard Strauss’ Deadline, has also secured deals for In the Fire of War with unnamed buyers in the likes of Poland and Germany.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
14 May 2025
-
Colby is a gangster wannabe, and Niro has become a lawman, leaving the 'street rat' life behind.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
12 May 2025
Noun
-
Overcoming the first son, the group continues their journey only to face down one after another, each with his own gimmick: The pirate son with his sea-creature half-men minions, for instance; a band of hunters with their own, even deadlier werewolf.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2025
-
Smuggler’s Copter is obviously a very famous card in Magic history, but also just the flavor of Smuggler’s Copter being, in the original set, for a pair of sky pirates.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
16 May 2025
Noun
-
Sandra Oh, the daughter of South Korean immigrant parents, follows British agent Eve Polastri charged with catching the elusive and ruthless assassin Villanelle (Jodie Comer).—
Lesley O'Toole,
Variety,
9 May 2025
-
Reyes ultimately discovers that the plane is filled with assassins looking to kill the Ghost, and eventually him.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
7 May 2025
Noun
-
The thief — dressed in a black hoodie and black pants — held a gun to the victim’s face before stealing $100,000 from the victim’s bedroom and then fled on foot, heading south on Seventh Ave., cops said.—
Nicholas Williams,
New York Daily News,
15 May 2025
-
The thieves stole millions of dollars worth of jewelry from the reality star in the middle of the night.—
Esther Kang,
People.com,
14 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ruffian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruffian. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share