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
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Recent Examples of ruffians
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
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
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The masked thugs deposit a tearful middle-aged woman in front of Bass, Newsom, and Harris.—
Conor Friedersdorf,
The Atlantic,
12 May 2026
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White thugs destroyed it in the 1921 Race Massacre.—
Jasmine Desiree,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Noun
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The bigger issue is that many systems still rely on information criminals may already have, such as birthdays, addresses and partial Social Security numbers.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
30 May 2026
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Morrison has covered stories worldwide, interviewing everyone from presidents and prime ministers, student protesters under fire in Tiananmen Square, to criminals, teachers, artists, actors and authors.—
Dateline NBC,
NBC news,
29 May 2026
Noun
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Deportees from the United States are especially vulnerable to robbery and kidnapping because gangs and bandits assume that their families can pay larger ransoms.—
Caitlin Dickerson,
The Atlantic,
15 May 2026
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Joined by her hapless but loyal classmate Curtis Mehlberg (Jacob Tremblay), Prue navigates a world of talking animals, bandits, and powerful figures driven by grief and ambition.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
In every revolution, there are gangsters.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
28 May 2026
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But when the pair decides to let Rotta go instead, Mando is captured by the bounty hunter Embo as punishment for double-crossing the slimy galactic gangsters, prompting Grogu (and a bunch of ridiculously cute Anzellans) to set out on an adventure to rescue him.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 May 2026
Noun
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Fast forward two years, and they are now presented as villains in a way no other team has since the late 1990s Yankees teams.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
3 June 2026
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Simon was more interested in sociological dynamics about what makes a city tick than traditional heroes or villains, creating a complex portrait of humanity at its best and worst.—
Derek Lawrence,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 June 2026
Noun
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The spot is known for its utter romance and distinct architecture, with buildings featuring balconies hovering over the water—it's said these were used by resident merchants to load their goods directly onto boats and (hopefully) avoid pirates.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
27 May 2026
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International actors have policed the pirates ever since the world first became aware of the Somali pirate crisis, when there were as many as 200 incidents of piracy between 2009 and 2011.—
Luke McGee,
Time,
27 May 2026
Noun
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Later, the team pieces together that the assassins were professionals who had been hired by someone with deep pockets.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 May 2026
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The film follows a unit of young assassins who belong to the titular organization, trained in a tropical rainforest by a figure known only as Master.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
12 May 2026
Noun
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The thieves also took five illustrations by Brazilian modernist Cândido Portinari created for a special edition of José Lins do Rego’s novel Menino de Engenho.—
Daniel Cassady,
ARTnews.com,
1 June 2026
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This comes on the heels of reports of thousands of iPhone thefts in London, with their owners being blackmailed or threatened into giving the thieves their Apple ID credentials, so the thieves can unlock, wipe, and resell the phones.—
Alan Henry,
PC Magazine,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ruffians.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruffians. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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