ruffianly

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruffianly
Adjective
  • The banal village tunes that Mahler altered into sinister mock vulgarities—did these not recall the raffish klezmer bands, the wandering musicians who played at shtetl weddings?
    David Denby, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2025
  • There’s an over-the-top and overdressed fish out of water (me), a raffish Englishmen homesick for Great Britain (my husband Aidan, who will be mortified to read any of this), and an ensemble of quirky characters.
    Mosha Lundström Halbert, Vogue, 20 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • With vibrant, squiggly animation that relies heavily on archival imagery and a riotous sense of rhythm, Odermatt delivers a short that is both a parody and a love letter to one of opera and pop culture’s greatest 20th century icons.
    Jamie Lang, Variety, 7 June 2025
  • Devil May Cry Perhaps the show most tonally opposite to The Last of Us on this list, Netflix’s Devil May Cry is a riotous, colorful blast of punk energy.
    Barry Levitt, Time, 26 May 2025
Adjective
  • Even amid the more boisterous parts of the track, the speakers pick out the subtleties.
    PC Magazine, PC Magazine, 27 May 2025
  • Elizabeth is friendly and warm, but not as boisterous as Olivia.
    Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 26 May 2025
Adjective
  • For 23 years, the rowdy blue agent of chaos lived as a second-class citizen at Disney.
    Brooks Barnes, New York Times, 2 June 2025
  • Tear gas was reportedly used near the stadium and water cannon were used near the Arc de Triomphe to disperse rowdy crowds.
    Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 June 2025
Adjective
  • Customers at Starbucks will be introduced to a new interface with a carnival-style wheel.
    Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 30 Mar. 2023
  • The Square has spooky carnival-style games.
    Annie Alleman, Chicago Tribune, 12 Sep. 2022
Adjective
  • That 2-1 defeat was a stinger — Tōko Koga’s decisive goal in the 50th minute hushed an otherwise raucous San Diego crowd.
    Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 31 May 2025
  • While generating political polemics, Sunday’s vote has not triggered the raucous street rallies that generally accompany Mexican balloting.
    Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2025
Adjective
  • The protests had been largely peaceful throughout Friday and Saturday, with isolated instances of violent activity.
    Michael Wilner, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025
  • Noni finds herself up against Lion’s violent henchmen and women in series of fight-to-the-death encounters aboard the tyrant’s grandiose sailing ship, which lies at the heart of a vast naval fleet.
    Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 9 June 2025
Adjective
  • Before last year’s trial, the blocks surrounding the Superior Court in Dedham developed a carnivalesque atmosphere.
    Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 12 Apr. 2025
  • With multiple hues split by seams that encircle their throats and bellies, the vases have a sweet, carnivalesque elegance.
    Julie Lasky, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2025
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Ruffianly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruffianly. Accessed 14 Jun. 2025.

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