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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Girls were there and there were guys that were really extra on some thug, some goon sh*t.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
29 Sep. 2025
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We’re then introduced to Louie, a thug who works for a loan shark, threatening and killing people.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Currently, Wiig is in her villain era.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
4 Oct. 2025
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With Ka-young’s help, Iblis is able to destroy the Flower of Eternal Life, which had allowed Khalid to live forever (at least until this point), and the villain fades to dust.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The show portrays Watkins introducing Gein to the story of Ilse Koch, a real-life Holocaust war criminal.—
JR Radcliffe,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
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On Tuesday, a total of 300 federal agents stormed a South Side apartment building that Department of Homeland Security officials say harbored criminals.—
Laura Daniella Sepulveda,
AZCentral.com,
4 Oct. 2025
Noun
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What a perfect opportunity for the island’s shoe bandit to strike again!—
Nick Caruso,
TVLine,
1 Oct. 2025
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The bandit takes the pair into Shaybani territory, where he is treated with suspicion, to the extent that he is considered a traitor and condemned to die.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
28 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In those times, young people who self-described as gangsters fought for territory, and one of their subversive acts was to tag the walls of the city with the verses of cumbia songs.—
Karla Gachet,
NPR,
3 Oct. 2025
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The gangster drama began airing on BBC Two in the UK in 2013, and debuted on Netflix a year later.—
Nancy Tartaglione,
Deadline,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Plus, Jude Law brings his movie star charisma as the swaggering pirate captain Jod Na Nawood, who helps the kids find their way back home (for reasons far from mere goodwill).—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Sep. 2025
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Attendees are encouraged to dress in their best pirate costume.—
Linda Mcintosh,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
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There, Pat, Willa, and an assassin follow one another across terrain that bucks and dips like a cartoon water hose.—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
3 Oct. 2025
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Are assassins like Kirk’s killer simply pathological outliers among agitated but otherwise self-restrained populations?—
Ron Barrett,
The Conversation,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
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There is not a thief or any army of moths on earth that can destroy this kind of treasure.—
Bea L. Hines,
Miami Herald,
3 Oct. 2025
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On the night of May 4, 1802, a thief broke into Denmark's Royal Art Museum and took the horns.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ruffian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruffian. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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