ruffian

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The trial heard him described as a "ruffian" and a "street waif" who never stood still.

From BBC • Jan. 27, 2025

In America, he's a ruffian who hunts with a bow and arrow.

From Salon • Sep. 10, 2023

Ramasar makes for an elegant ruffian, if not an entirely stellar Bernardo.

From Washington Post • Feb. 20, 2020

Old Town Music Hall James Cagney’s knockout performance as a deranged ruffian with a bit of an Oedipus complex ignites director Raoul Walsh’s highly influential 1949 gangster classic White Heat.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 17, 2018

“No cause for alarm, Brother Alf. Ambrose Spike is made of leather and needles. Tough as a boulder, this old ruffian is. Look, he’s beginning to come around already.”

From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques