noun

ruffian

RUH-fee-uhn

Ruffian (noun) means a violent, lawless, or thuggish person. Example: “A gang of ruffians harassed shopkeepers along the street.”

noun

A violent, lawless, or thuggish person.

"A gang of ruffians harassed shopkeepers along the street."

"He was dismissed as a ruffian, though he later proved surprisingly gentle."

How to use ruffian

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA rough, aggressive troublemaker — someone who behaves like a thug.

When to use it

Slightly old-fashioned or literary; modern speech tends to use "thug" or "hooligan" instead.

Common pairings

a band of ruffians act like a ruffian

more ruffian comparative, ruffianed past tense, ruffians plural, ruffians singular, most ruffian superlative

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A gang of _____ harassed shopkeepers along the street.

From French rufian, borrowed from Italian ruffiano, originally meaning "pimp."

Origin: French

tough bully rowdy hooligan yob yobo yobbo roughneck

hard trying easy strong boy difficult excellent tough

Asian avian Fabian Indian Syrian simian median Italian Russian Persian Serbian Latvian

What does “ruffian” mean?

The word “ruffian” means a violent, lawless, or thuggish person. In plain terms, a rough, aggressive troublemaker — someone who behaves like a thug.

How do you pronounce “ruffian”?

“Ruffian” is pronounced RUH-fee-uhn (/ˈɹʌfi.ən/ in IPA).

How do you use “ruffian” in a sentence?

Here is “ruffian” used in a sentence: “A gang of ruffians harassed shopkeepers along the street.”

What part of speech is “ruffian”?

“Ruffian” is a noun.

Where does the word “ruffian” come from?

The word “ruffian” comes from French. From French rufian, borrowed from Italian ruffiano, originally meaning "pimp.".

hard trying easy strong boy difficult excellent tough