as in annoyed
to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts
the stream of minor complaints finally ruffled him into snapping, "If you don't like the way I'm doing it, do it yourself!"
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Recent Examples of ruffled
After a while, that took on a patronising air, going from a team everyone else had a lot of affection for to one whose hair was getting ruffled, broadly because the bigger sides didn’t regard them as competitors.
—
Nick Miller, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2025
And yet, with the Fed having already signaled that a September rate cut may be on the table, even with the expectation of higher inflation, markets are unlikely to be too ruffled by that disclosure.
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 22 Aug. 2025
Zoë Kravitz appeared at the Caught Stealing photocall in London wearing a pale yellow dress with delicate embroidery and ruffled short sleeves.
—Catherine Santino, People.com, 19 Aug. 2025
The site’s anxious foreman, Horn (Matt Dillon), protected behind the perimeter fence, yet ruffled by Albouny’s defiance and unflappability, is clearly hiding a terrible truth from the man.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ruffled
Nick Miller, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2025
And yet, with the Fed having already signaled that a September rate cut may be on the table, even with the expectation of higher inflation, markets are unlikely to be too ruffled by that disclosure.
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 22 Aug. 2025
Zoë Kravitz appeared at the Caught Stealing photocall in London wearing a pale yellow dress with delicate embroidery and ruffled short sleeves.
—Catherine Santino, People.com, 19 Aug. 2025
The site’s anxious foreman, Horn (Matt Dillon), protected behind the perimeter fence, yet ruffled by Albouny’s defiance and unflappability, is clearly hiding a terrible truth from the man.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ruffled
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruffled
Verb
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In practice, Musk bowed to authoritarian governments or banned critical journalists when their reporting annoyed him.—
Jacob Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
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Christian is annoyed by Max’s temporary tyranny and overall seems … normal.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The decision by Aaron Turner, Kuminga’s agent, to go on a media tour in recent weeks while negotiating publicly in hopes of landing a better offer for Kuminga, irritated some with the organization, according to league sources.—
Nick Friedell,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
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And the web designer from South Dakota certainly must have irritated her former final two ally Vince Panaro on her way out of the Big Brother house.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Power gains are bugged to be too low for a new power grind that no one wants to do anyway.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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His not winning it was considered a failure, and that bugged him.—
Brody Miller,
New York Times,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Edman is still bothered by the same ankle injury that landed him on the IL twice this season but is expected to be available when the Dodgers start the postseason on Tuesday.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
27 Sep. 2025
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Finney's younger sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) is bothered by nightmarish visions of an alpine camp, and the siblings investigate only to discover that the Grabber has found a way to torture from the other side.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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This Committee was initially created during the McCarthy Era, a dark time when the federal government repressed and persecuted American citizens for their political beliefs.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
1 Oct. 2025
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Leatherface attacks, but the real villains turn out to be the townsfolk who persecuted the Sawyers after the original massacre.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
21 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ruffled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruffled. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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