Thesaurus results for RUFFIANS

ruffians

noun

plural of ruffian

as in thugs

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 ruffians But as with any good Leonard story, the best moments come from the characters, a rogues’ gallery of violent ruffians and neurotic, duplicitous scoundrels. — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026 The series has lent a cinematic gangster attraction to the Peaky Blinders, yet the term itself was not one gang — as depicted in the show — but a generic expression from the late 19th century for the ‘street ruffians’ of Birmingham, born out of the city’s ring of poverty. — Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2026 In fact, the GTW ruffians have to give the Big Honey some props for his relative restraint in the heat of the moment. — Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 28 Feb. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruffians

Noun

That a Christian man was responsible for the devastation in Oklahoma City certainly didn’t matter to the thugs who terrorized a Muslim woman there, nearly seven months pregnant, by attacking her home, breaking her windows, screaming religious slurs.

— Reshma Memon Yaqub, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026
Some of the thugs were actual neo-Nazis, led by real-life Russian fascist Maksim Martsinkevich, who would later be imprisoned for posting racist videos, investigated for murder and, in 2020, found dead in his cell of an apparent suicide.

— Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of thugs

Noun

Operating system and browser updates regularly fix vulnerabilities that criminals may try to exploit.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2026
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

Definition of criminals

Noun

When a wealthy, royal woman is attacked by bandits, the two men save her and are welcomed to the castle as valiant knights.

— Jourdain Searles, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2026
Elsewhere, a gang of highway bandits cons an unsuspecting family into stopping by the roadside, only to violently kill them, burn their bodies, and strip their car for parts.

— Siddhant Adlakha, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of bandits

Noun

Within hours, their yacht vanishes, Matt is abducted by a gang of ruthless pirates led by Langbore (Copley), and paradise becomes a trap.

— Alex Ritman, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026
Knights in shining armor, pirates and princesses grace the grounds of Sleepy Hollow for the annual Renaissance Faire in Des Moines.

— Kyle Werner, Des Moines Register, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of pirates

Noun

The settler assassins were arrested by the police and as usual released within a few hours.

— David Shulman, The New York Review of Books, 26 Aug. 2026
Bannerman centers on the eponymous Paul Bannerman, a lethal covert operative who convinces a group of the world’s most deadly assassins to quit the spy game for a chance to lead normal lives in the suburbs of Connecticut.

— Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of assassins

Noun

They are finally revealed as the head-lamps of a gang of thieves, robbing a church, caught closer up, their faces occasionally emerging from the gloom.

— John Hopewell, Variety, 18 Sep. 2026
Whyte is a hoot, and her thick-as-thieves chemistry with Horgan a delight.

— Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of thieves

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ruffianly

ruffians

ruffle

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“Ruffians.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruffians. Accessed 21 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of ruffians

noun

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