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# ruffian

noun (a ruffian, ruffians)

«ruffian» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

A rough, violent or lawless person, especially a man or a boy who causes trouble. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/ruffian/#m1)

### In the lessons

An old-fashioned word in stories and history: highwaymen, pirates and street gangs are ruffians. In The Wind in the Willows the stoats and weasels who take over Toad Hall are called ruffians, and Toad himself is called a ruffian by the court. Today grandparents use it half-jokingly for noisy boys.

### Examples

- A gang of ruffians stopped the coach on the road. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/ruffian/#x1)
- The weasels and stoats were a band of ruffians. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/ruffian/#x2)
- «You young ruffians, get off my lawn!» shouted the old man. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/ruffian/#x3)
- The magistrate called Toad a hardened ruffian. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/ruffian/#x4)
- Ruffians attacked travellers in the Middle Ages. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/ruffian/#x5)
- The pirates were cruel ruffians. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/ruffian/#x6)
- The ruffians were appropriately named Rawbones and Woudkill. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/ruffian/#x7)

### Note

Plural: ruffians. Adjective: ruffianly (rare). Do not confuse with «ruffle» (to mess up hair or feathers).

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «ruffian» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/ruffian/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«ruffian» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/ruffian.html) on Mova free.