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ruffian

noun

ˈrə-fē-ən How to pronounce ruffian (audio)
Definition of ruffiannext
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

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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 Ciri, unbeknowest to her surrogate ma and pa, is free of her Nilfgaardian captors and on the run with a band of adolescent ruffians, and perhaps figuring out how to take care of herself. — Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025 When both young people meet their end the Baron saves Christina by putting Hans’ brain in Christina’s body, uniting their blurred identities in a joint thirst for revenge, creating a Gothic avenger who hunts down the aristocratic ruffians who ruined their happiness. — Rory Doherty, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2025 Friends and neighbors worried that these rumors could attract dangerous young ruffians who might harm them and steal the money. — Mara Bovsun, New York Daily News, 15 Dec. 2024 Then again, the fight scene did that on its own, sounding more refined than ruffian. — Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2024 See All Example Sentences for ruffian
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruffian
  1. thug
  2. villain
  3. criminal
  4. bandit
  5. gangster
  6. pirate
  7. assassin
  8. thief
Noun
  • On a cold night in November 2011, in a field outside Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine, a gang of thugs stormed a Soviet scientific research institute, beat and humiliated the staff and burned the place to the ground.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Meanwhile, Kyle and his usual pair of special-forces thugs track down a suspiciously large plane (as in, big enough to fly across the Atlantic) and an equally suspicious flight manifest.
    — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of thug
Noun
  • There are no villains in Possible Love; there are only people who are aware of others, and people who are not.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The former Democratic speaker was the longtime villain, a mainstay in ads as Republicans linked Democratic candidates to her to paint them as radical and out of touch.
    — James A. Downs, The Washington Examiner, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of villain
Noun
  • Most crimes across Mexico went unsolved, and authorities sometimes appeared to be colluding with criminals instead of fighting them.
    — Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Keeping email, downloads and everyday web activity away from that machine reduces the opportunities criminals have to reach it.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of criminal
Noun
  • Leonard, who made tens of millions in off-the-books, no-show endorsements, made out like a bandit with this settlement, especially since his $51 million contract for the coming season was not voided.
    — John Hollinger, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Analysts warn each ransom payment fuels more crime as armed groups, from rural bandits to Islamist militants, raid schools, mosques and villages, with an average of 21 kidnappings reported daily.
    — Dyepkazah Shibayan, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of bandit
Noun
  • British gangsters colliding with the Italian Mafia just feels so right for our world.
    — Connor Sturges, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Sep. 2026
  • One kid wants to make a supernatural fantasy, another a gangster movie, another a boxing movie.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of gangster
Noun
  • Here’s a first look at Paramount+‘s upcoming pirate drama Treasure Island.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2026
  • In Tampa, Almand rode around the Buccaneers stadium wielding a Bucs flag and got to visit their famed pirate ship.
    — Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of pirate
Noun
  • Before Atlanta, the girls weren’t judged as heavily based on their reads or confessional assassin abilities.
    — Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 7 Sep. 2026
  • As the President sat down to eat with the press corps, a would-be assassin stormed through a security checkpoint before being subdued by the Secret Service.
    — Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of assassin
Noun
  • Art thieves in Europe are committing more violent robberies and specialist gangs have been replaced by ad hoc ​opportunists recruited through social media, pan-European police body Europol said last month.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Authorities in France were seeking two thieves Tuesday who broke into the Renoir Museum in the French Riviera and stole two works by the 19th century Impressionist master, the local mayor said.
    — Brian Dakss, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of thief

Browse Nearby Words

ruff
ruffian
ruffianly
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Cite this Entry

“Ruffian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruffian. Accessed 15 Sep. 2026.

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