as in hobo
somewhat old-fashioned
a child who is dressed in rags and is usually dirty and poor
a group of barefoot ragamuffins playing in the street
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Recent Examples of ragamuffin
The former royal highness will be too busy leading the Resistance, alongside Jonathan and his ragamuffin group of bandits, to fight off all of the Queen’s men.
—
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 19 Mar. 2025
And the best way to clear a driveway piled with snow is to hire some neighborhood ragamuffins with snow shovels, pay them some cash, and give them a belt of hot chocolate.
—Steven Levy, WIRED, 5 Apr. 2024
The young ragamuffin helped turn corrido tumbado into a global chart-topper (and moneymaker) and proved that Latin American artists don’t have to compromise to reach that level of acclaim.
—Pitchfork, 13 Dec. 2023
The Moser family — Lubo, his wife and three cheerfully ragamuffin little kids — are a troupe of travelling performers who earn their keep putting on shows in the local towns.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 7 Sep. 2023
The reunion between ragamuffin Georgie and boyish Jason also recalls Peter Bogdanovich’s Paper Moon from 50 years ago, a movie set during the Great Depression, an exercise in nostalgia.
—Armond White, National Review, 30 Aug. 2023
Then there is the rest of the ragamuffin roster that was picked to finish seventh in the Big 12, a conference so prestigious that its most noteworthy programs — Oklahoma and Texas — can’t wait to leave.
—Billy Witz Sasha Portis, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2022
Right or wrong, San Diego teams are looked at like the unkempt, ragamuffin.
—John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Dec. 2022
The baby was plump, and came to be called Tumpy (for Humpty Dumpty), a moniker that persisted well after poverty had thinned her into a ragamuffin.
—Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2022
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 19 Mar. 2025
And the best way to clear a driveway piled with snow is to hire some neighborhood ragamuffins with snow shovels, pay them some cash, and give them a belt of hot chocolate.
—Steven Levy, WIRED, 5 Apr. 2024
The young ragamuffin helped turn corrido tumbado into a global chart-topper (and moneymaker) and proved that Latin American artists don’t have to compromise to reach that level of acclaim.
—Pitchfork, 13 Dec. 2023
The Moser family — Lubo, his wife and three cheerfully ragamuffin little kids — are a troupe of travelling performers who earn their keep putting on shows in the local towns.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 7 Sep. 2023
The reunion between ragamuffin Georgie and boyish Jason also recalls Peter Bogdanovich’s Paper Moon from 50 years ago, a movie set during the Great Depression, an exercise in nostalgia.
—Armond White, National Review, 30 Aug. 2023
Then there is the rest of the ragamuffin roster that was picked to finish seventh in the Big 12, a conference so prestigious that its most noteworthy programs — Oklahoma and Texas — can’t wait to leave.
—Billy Witz Sasha Portis, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2022
Right or wrong, San Diego teams are looked at like the unkempt, ragamuffin.
—John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Dec. 2022
The baby was plump, and came to be called Tumpy (for Humpty Dumpty), a moniker that persisted well after poverty had thinned her into a ragamuffin.
—Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ragamuffin
Noun
-
Extra hooks allow the bag to transform into a trapezoidal hobo shape.—
Joelle Diderich,
WWD,
19 Sep. 2024
-
There’s a lot to love about Coach’s viral shoulder bag: the modern hobo style, the soft leather, the distinct shape.—
Lindy Segal,
Glamour,
13 Sep. 2024
Noun
-
The beggars, widows, and families with sick relatives who once made a pilgrimage to the gates of the parliament building in the Green Zone to beg lawmakers for help are now barred from entry.—
Ned Parker,
Foreign Affairs,
12 Feb. 2012
-
All the beggars at the intersection of Lee Road and the off-ramp of I-4 are completely out of hand.—
Ticked Off,
Orlando Sentinel,
18 July 2024
Noun
-
Daniels’ first foray into the horror genre shot to No. 1 on Netflix after dropping Aug. 30, which may have a little bit — or a whole lot — to do with Close, who clearly had the time of her life playing a tramp named Alberta.—
Lynette Rice,
Deadline,
2 Sep. 2024
-
On March 7, 1913, rescuers were desperately searching the same waters for survivors of the Alum Cine, a British tramp steamer, that exploded while being loaded with 350 tons of dynamite (nine boxcars’ worth) that was bound to Panama for construction of the canal that was underway.—
Frederick N. Rasmussen,
Baltimore Sun,
28 Mar. 2024
Noun
-
Diminutive Darcy Rose Byrnes makes for a terrific waif of a hotel maid, her presence central to the action.—
Christopher Smith,
Orange County Register,
17 Mar. 2025
-
The immortal embarrassment of Nosferatu The arduous, debilitating affair between melancholic 1830s waif Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp) and her vampire lover-enemy Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård, under tons of prosthetics) begins with deception.—
Alex Abad-Santos,
Vox,
10 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Alex Fogg, natural resources chief for Destin-Fort Walton Beach, said that as an artificial reef, the ship will be a habitat for sea creatures like snappers, urchins and crabs.—
Isabelle Taft,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2025
-
Closer to shore and shallower, the wreck of the Red Sea is covered with urchins and sponges and is home to goliath groupers that tip the scales over 300 pounds.—
Terry Ward,
Outside Online,
19 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ragamuffin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ragamuffin. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.
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