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
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Recent Examples of ruffian
And then there was Post Malone, the rapping, rocking everyman who has replaced Kid Rock as America’s favorite ruffian.
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Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 17 May 2024
Read More: Fans React to Beyoncé's New Album Cowboy Carter
Once seen as ruffians and pushed to the outskirts of Victorian society, cowboys were reinvented as rugged cultural heroes in the American consciousness in the early 20th century through dime novels, rodeos, movies, and more.
—TIME, 12 Apr. 2024
The building, erected in 1915 as the Rieger Hotel, served traveling salesmen, railroad ruffians and gangsters in the early 20th Century.
—David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 11 Apr. 2024
And America’s democratic allies, who well understand the importance of U.S. democratic leadership to the global cause of freedom, have been badly shaken by the images of ruffians rampaging through the world’s most powerful democratic assembly
Get unlimited access to all Foreign Affairs.
—Larry Diamond, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2021
See all Example Sentences for ruffian 
Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 17 May 2024
Read More: Fans React to Beyoncé's New Album Cowboy Carter
Once seen as ruffians and pushed to the outskirts of Victorian society, cowboys were reinvented as rugged cultural heroes in the American consciousness in the early 20th century through dime novels, rodeos, movies, and more.
—TIME, 12 Apr. 2024
The building, erected in 1915 as the Rieger Hotel, served traveling salesmen, railroad ruffians and gangsters in the early 20th Century.
—David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 11 Apr. 2024
And America’s democratic allies, who well understand the importance of U.S. democratic leadership to the global cause of freedom, have been badly shaken by the images of ruffians rampaging through the world’s most powerful democratic assembly
Get unlimited access to all Foreign Affairs.
—Larry Diamond, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2021
See all Example Sentences for ruffian
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruffian
Noun
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Long maintaining that the protesters are just thugs, Najmeh painfully removes the rounds from Sadaf’s bleeding wounds, her assumptions about the government she’s loyally obeyed falling away.Tim Grierson, Los Angeles Times, 28 Nov. 2024
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The society of Iverson’s youth rendered him an unredeemable thug and jailed him for it as a minor.Marcus Thompson II, The Athletic, 22 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Or even an appearance from Tom Holland’s Peter Parker that would mean two hours haven’t been wasted watching this forgettable origin tale of a villain who’s not really THAT bad.Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 14 Dec. 2024
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Sony still had the film rights to multiple Spider-Man villains and side-characters, and thus, went to work building its own universe.Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Trump has said deportations will focus on criminals first, as immigration enforcement has since former President Barack Obama's presidency.Sarah D. Wire, USA TODAY, 8 Dec. 2024
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The film focuses on young Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) — who's accidentally left home alone over the holidays — and his clever plans to outwit a pair of criminals trying to rob his home on Christmas Eve.Athena Sobhan, People.com, 8 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Guided by Kudrow’s Penelope, the bandits embarked on epic adventures while evil forces were an obstacle.Marc Berman, Forbes, 16 Sep. 2024
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The bagel at the base of her breakfast bandit has a direct connection to her youth: The dough is prepared daily at A&S Bagels in Franklin Square, N.Y., not far from the streets where Chersevani developed a taste for a bagel and schmear.Tim Carman, Washington Post, 25 July 2024
Noun
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Rolling with the sound of Slo-Be Bryant 3, one of the great West Coast tapes of the 2020s, Slo-Be’s steely, ominous murmurs give his sentimental gangster rap the air of sorcery.Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 9 Dec. 2024
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However, as the volatile gangster, the caregiver and bumbling daddy’s boy begin to plot and scheme, things don’t exactly go according to plan.Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 6 Dec. 2024
Noun
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This small doohickey works with Amazon Key In-Garage Delivery, an exclusive Prime member benefit that protects your packages from porch pirates and increment weather.Marc Saltzman, USA TODAY, 17 Dec. 2024
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Zoom out: Also beware of virtual porch pirates, as one in five delivery package scam attempts starts via text message or messaging apps like WhatsApp or iMessage.Carrie Shepherd, Axios, 12 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Many others have expressed condemnation and voiced disgust with those showing support for the alleged assassin.Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 14 Dec. 2024
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There was little chance The Day of the Jackal, Peacock and Sky’s remake of Fred Zinnemann’s classic 1973 thriller, was going to do its titular assassin dirty in the end, especially since it was already announced the hit series (now a Golden Globe nominee!) would be getting a second season.Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 12 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Three thieves attacked a man in a strong-arm robbery that netted $500,000 in jewelry, only for an Apple AirTag to lead police to two suspects in Queens, cops said on Friday.Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 13 Dec. 2024
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Security camera footage shows thieves running off with packages delivered to a home or even brazenly posing as a homeowner to accept an item directly from the delivery person.Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 11 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Ruffian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruffian. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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