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 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
Below, some of the finest, high-quality ruffled bedding around the web for creating the frothy bedscape of your daydreams.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 28 Feb. 2026
As for Ruffalo himself, who has on more than one occasion ruffled a few feathers with his advocacy, red carpet label pins and outspokenness, the Hulk actor suggested to Bonta to put together a posse.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 27 Feb. 2026
Readers will remember Carano from being fired from The Mandalorian after her outspoken conservative views ruffled feathers on social media.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 17 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ruffled
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 6 Mar. 2026
Below, some of the finest, high-quality ruffled bedding around the web for creating the frothy bedscape of your daydreams.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 28 Feb. 2026
As for Ruffalo himself, who has on more than one occasion ruffled a few feathers with his advocacy, red carpet label pins and outspokenness, the Hulk actor suggested to Bonta to put together a posse.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 27 Feb. 2026
Readers will remember Carano from being fired from The Mandalorian after her outspoken conservative views ruffled feathers on social media.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 17 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ruffled
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruffled
Verb
-
Teams routinely get annoyed with media that spends time on this sort of thing, but there is no better sales tactic than drama.—
Mac Engel
April 16,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 Apr. 2026
-
But now Lamar is doing press annoyed with me.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Even minimal exposure to artificial lights irritated his burns, and recovery took months.—
Natalie Krebs,
Outdoor Life,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Many people have come out of the woodwork and jumped on the bandwagon, which irritated me.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Only Lanie bothered to help me sort through what my mother had left behind, sort my days.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Collins believes, or at least implies, that the more radical tradition is the one that never bothered negotiating with those institutions at all—that the real fearlessness is in the work that was never asking for a seat at the table.—
Geoff Bennett,
The Atlantic,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Underwood went on The Bachelor as a straight man, made a connection with Randolph, broke up with her, bugged her car, and then was hit with a restraining order.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Trump implemented a program offering migration and asylum to white Afrikaners who feel persecuted in South Africa.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Apr. 2026
-
For years, deportations could be indefinitely delayed if an immigrant successfully argued that they’d be tortured or persecuted if they were returned home.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
12 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ruffled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruffled. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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