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Definitions

ruffian

[ruhf-ee-uhn, ruhf-yuhn] / ˈrʌf i ən, ˈrʌf yən /


Example Sentences

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“Good Boy,” by Jan Komasa, has an arresting star turn by Anson Boon as a ruffian who gets chained up in a rich family’s cellar until he agrees to behave.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 8, 2025

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

This was nowhere more pronounced than with the character of the kid, the nameless ruffian and pseudo-protagonist of the tale. 

From Slate • Oct. 6, 2012

But the ruffian flung it at his head and then darted out into the darkness.

From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien




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