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 Interestingly, that cigar-smoking biker ruffian was not a character in the DC Comics title of a few years back. — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 5 June 2026 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 The series has lent a cinematic gangster attraction to the Peaky Blinders, yet the term itself was not one gang — as depicted in the show — but a generic expression from the late 19th century for the ‘street ruffians’ of Birmingham, born out of the city’s ring of poverty. — Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2026 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
  • Alyssa Thomas' thug-like play, punching Caitlin Clark in the throat and kneeing her in the groin, is indefensible.
    — Jon Root OutKick, FOXNews.com, 27 June 2026
  • Ditto Hugh Jackman’s unerring performance — perhaps his finest dramatic work yet — as a savage, unfeeling thug and unrepentant murderer and thief.
    — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 18 June 2026
Definition of thug
Noun
  • There are probably easier ways to mount a crime thriller steeped in gritty realism than centering it on a villain made of gas.
    — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 6 July 2026
  • That doesn’t mean Netherlands players are villains, or anything less than heroes for their country.
    — AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 6 July 2026
Definition of villain
Noun
  • Data that appears to be compliance information to a regulator can appear to be a target list to a criminal.
    — Susie Violet Ward, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • The Colorado attorney general oversees more than 700 attorneys and staff and manages legal manners spanning consumer protection, civil rights, criminal, water, constitutional and environmental law.
    — Jesse Sarles, CBS News, 1 July 2026
Definition of criminal
Noun
  • Instead, most are romantic stories about young lovers separated by fate, and the rest are swashbuckling adventures full of bandits and pirates.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 June 2026
  • Fantastical adventures ensue as the pair encounter a mysterious woman, Alexandra, who has lost her son, along with coyotes, bandits, and some pretty big secrets.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 29 June 2026
Definition of bandit
Noun
  • Madonna was stopped dead in her tracks by the strapping 30-year-old auteur of the nouvelle vague gangster movie Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, an eye-popping directorial debut.
    — Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 5 July 2026
  • Yet Francis Ford Coppola's original sprawling gangster epic is undeniable.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 1 July 2026
Definition of gangster
Noun
  • The age of sail, when pirates like Johnny Depp’s fictional Jack Sparrow roamed the seven seas, ended about 200 years ago.
    — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 1 July 2026
  • Eight pages later, Leucippe has to fake her own beheading to escape from pirates.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 June 2026
Definition of pirate
Noun
  • Julie has returned her old ways as an assassin, whilst navigating an equally perilous dating scene, while Edward’s honeymoon with Kayla (Shalom Brune-Franklin) doesn’t go quite as planned.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 6 July 2026
  • In Ride or Die, Waddingham plays Judith Burton, who lives a double life as an assassin.
    — Lexi Lane, PEOPLE, 5 July 2026
Definition of assassin
Noun
  • Elsewhere in France’s southwest region, yet another museum fell victim to thieves, who made off this time with archaeological treasures in silver and gold from the Gallic and Roman period, reports Le Journal des Arts.
    — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 6 July 2026
  • When a thief opens an account with your SSN, birthdate and address, canceling the account only fixes part of the problem.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 4 July 2026
Definition of thief

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Cite this Entry

“Ruffian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruffian. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of ruffian for Spanish Speakers

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