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
The move ruffled the feathers of a number of leaders across Latin America, who still grapple with the complicated legacy and violent fallout of past American intervention in the region.
—
Megan Janetsky, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2025
This pike ruffled his temper with its lunging rushes, and so Maurice really lowered the boom.
—Ben East, Outdoor Life, 28 Aug. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for ruffled
Megan Janetsky, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2025
This pike ruffled his temper with its lunging rushes, and so Maurice really lowered the boom.
—Ben East, Outdoor Life, 28 Aug. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for ruffled
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruffled
Verb
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He was annoyed when people advocated that.—
Marni Rose McFall,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Oct. 2025
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Some people may be annoyed with thousands of fake videos of themselves flooding the internet, but Paul seems to be amused by it.—
Carly Thomas,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Oct. 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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Banks has bugged Kerkering to clean his locker, to no avail.—
Charlotte Varnes,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
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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
Verb
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The elbow that bothered him for days after being hit by a foul tip earlier this season.—
Brittany Ghiroli,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
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These shoes didn’t have the best arch support, but that wasn’t something that bothered us when walking for short or long periods of time.—
Averi Baudler,
PEOPLE,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In Nazi Germany, transgender people were persecuted, barred from public life.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
15 Oct. 2025
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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
Cite this Entry
“Ruffled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruffled. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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