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

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

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

“It's Katherine, Jane McKeene, and you know that. Never you mind about me, who was that ruffian you were speaking with?”

From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland