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
Hamilton had a problem with authority, Perez said, and ruffled feathers with the town’s police chief and school board.
—
Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 8 Apr. 2026
The actress shut down the red carpet in a white Dior gown with a strapless neckline, ruched midsection, and black-and-white tulle ruffled detailing along a hip-high leg slit.
—Christina Perrier, InStyle, 15 Mar. 2026
Franklin also ruffled a few feathers within the organization in recent years with his frequent podcast appearances that often included trash talk directed at other teams and players.
—Dianna Russini, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2026
The stunt ruffled more than a few feathers, with surveillance photos of the incident showing Fairbarn allegedly entering the habitat and roughly grabbing the bird by its legs.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ruffled
Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 8 Apr. 2026
The actress shut down the red carpet in a white Dior gown with a strapless neckline, ruched midsection, and black-and-white tulle ruffled detailing along a hip-high leg slit.
—Christina Perrier, InStyle, 15 Mar. 2026
Franklin also ruffled a few feathers within the organization in recent years with his frequent podcast appearances that often included trash talk directed at other teams and players.
—Dianna Russini, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2026
The stunt ruffled more than a few feathers, with surveillance photos of the incident showing Fairbarn allegedly entering the habitat and roughly grabbing the bird by its legs.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ruffled
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruffled
Verb
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As a matter of fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if the president doesn’t get annoyed with him once or twice.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
26 Apr. 2026
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Maybe annoyed enough to fix it.—
Nathan Edwards,
The Verge,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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His last-minute, mixmaster approach to closing out the transit negotiations irritated several participants, but the end result was a fiscally responsible and transformative restructuring of mass transit in northern Illinois.—
David Greising,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
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Even minimal exposure to artificial lights irritated his burns, and recovery took months.—
Natalie Krebs,
Outdoor Life,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Who never bothered to delete the erroneous post.—
Joe Rexrode,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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With Minnesota viewing them as soft, the Nuggets hardly seem bothered by the criticism.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Upon arriving at big-league camp this spring, Rojas said the different grip initially bugged him.—
Dan Hayes,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
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Three people told the Washington Examiner that Scott had become paranoid that Lewandowski was spying on him through his work phone and had bugged his office.—
Anna Giaritelli,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Walker, however, agreed with the majority that the president cannot deport migrants to countries where they will be persecuted or strip them of mandatory procedures that protect against their removal.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Walker, however, agreed with the majority that the president cannot deport migrants to countries where they will be persecuted or strip them of mandatory procedures that protect against their removal.—
Michael Kunzelman,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ruffled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruffled. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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