ruffian

noun

ˈrə-fē-ən How to pronounce ruffian (audio)
Definition of ruffiannext
as in thug
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ruffian 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 Friends and neighbors worried that these rumors could attract dangerous young ruffians who might harm them and steal the money. — Mara Bovsun, New York Daily News, 15 Dec. 2024 Then again, the fight scene did that on its own, sounding more refined than ruffian. — Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2024 See All Example Sentences for ruffian
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruffian
  1. thug
  2. villain
  3. criminal
  4. bandit
  5. gangster
  6. pirate
  7. assassin
  8. thief
Noun
  • These low-level thugs typically are not believed to be formally aligned with Iran.
    — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Borisov, who broke through as a thug with a poet’s soul in the 2024 Anora, vests Ilya with the same spiritual contours.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of thug
Noun
  • Rival fans were quick to jump all over this fact, given that both the Panthers and the Tkachuk brothers were seen as polarizing villains throughout the NHL.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Is that the most difficult thing for you as the showrunner of a political show today — a president as a villain?
    — Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of villain
Noun
  • That same month, criminals nabbed a $4 million diamond necklace from Vienna’s Museum of Applied Arts (MAK).
    — Lianne Kolirin, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026
  • For decades, Hollywood actor Danny Trejo’s bread and butter was playing gangsters, prison inmates and other assorted criminals.
    — Corky Siemaszko, NBC news, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of criminal
Noun
  • The father pulls over, and the car is immediately swarmed over by bandits, who brutally kill him — plus his wife and two kids — with no mercy.
    — Damon Wise, Deadline, 12 Oct. 2026
  • In the decade of violent conflicts that followed, attacks on border towns and seizures of American property by revolutionaries and bandits prompted the United States to send two military expeditions into Mexico.
    — Robert B. Zoellick, Foreign Affairs, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of bandit
Noun
  • Certain alleyways were favored for chases and gangster murders.
    — Deputy Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026
  • When citizens rioted in 1918 because the prices of essential commodities such as rice had spiralled out of control, gangsters were hired to crack down on the protesters.
    — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of gangster
Noun
  • Wild to me though that something that expensive would just be dropped off with porch pirates out there.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Jamal convened a press conference proclaiming to be able to communicate by phone with Somali pirates who were holding a Nigerian ship hostage.
    — Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of pirate
Noun
  • Today in the age of AI, the threats are not just from a lone assassin's bullet but autonomous attack drones.
    — Norah O'Donnell, CBS News, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Based on Nick Harkaway’s novel The Price You Pay, the show follows Jackie Price, a former drug queenpin hunted by seven elite assassins.
    — Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of assassin
Noun
  • The thieves also damaged the main office building with copper wiring and components removed from rooftop systems and air conditioning units, police said.
    — Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The basic set-up, for years, was just a comic ripping off a joke and performing it on stage; the infamous mid-2000s Comedy Store stand-off between Joe Rogan and alleged joke thief Carlos Mencia is one of the most famous examples.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of thief

Browse Nearby Words

ruff
ruffian
ruffianly
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Cite this Entry

“Ruffian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruffian. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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