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ruddy

ruddy

15 5.3
Having a healthy red color, often on the face or cheeks
  • adjective
  • /ˈrʌdi/
translation icon : sonrosado
  • Grown, he was a loud, bluff fellow with a ruddy face and crinkly, almost yellow hair.
  • ruddy cheeks

He saw King Sauban leaning from his saddle, his face Ruddy with murderous intent more than son, glinted in the man's blue eyes.

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Examples

  • The keeper was a big, ruddy-complexioned fellow with a scarred face and a ready smile.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Their faces were still flushed from the cold, his a ruddy orange and hers an empurpled brown.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • My cheeks are naturally ruddy, man.

  • His face was round and ruddy from the cross-stitches of broken capillaries under his skin.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Makali came back ruddy and sweaty from her walk in the summer morning.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • His face flushed, and the veins stood out like ruddy ropes on his neck.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • By the time Foster approached the podium, his normally ruddy complexion was redder than usual.

    Academic text (1994)
  • If anyone had asked, her ruddy, freckled face would have exploded into a disarming grin.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Father Foster is a fit-looking man of fifty-four, with a round, ruddy, balding head and wire-rim glasses.

    Academic text (1994)
  • After jogging outside, my cheeks turned a healthy ruddy hue.

Synonyms

red
vsruddy
380 1.0

Having skin that looks like the color of blood from heat or strong feeling

refers to healthful facial redness, not caused by short term stress
reddish
vsruddy
33 1.0

Having a slightly red color

specifies a stronger healthy facial red rather than a faint tint
red-faced
vsruddy
10 3.4

Having a very red face because of anger or embarrassment

describes natural healthy facial red color, not emotion driven redness
rosy-cheeked
vsruddy
2 2.8

Having pink cheeks that show good health

focuses on general healthy redness not only fresh cheeks
florid
vsruddy
1 7.1

Having a red or rosy face that looks healthy

is about healthy facial redness without outdoor implication
rubicund
vsruddy
1 9.2

Having healthy rosy cheeks

is the everyday word used more often in common speech
sanguine
vsruddy
1 7.6

Having a healthy red color in the cheeks

is the plain, common expression rather than formal usage
bloomy
vsruddy
5.0

A face that looks healthy and rosy

emphasizes plain healthy redness rather than youthful glow
rose-cheeked
vsruddy
4.5

Having pink cheeks that show someone is healthy or young

covers the same health meaning but in broader face areas
blushy
vsruddy
3.2

Having a light pink or rosy color

is used for steady healthy redness rather than emotion caused tint
rubescent
vsruddy
9.9

Having a red or pink color

describes a stable healthy facial red color rather than changing shade
flushed
vsruddy
3.3

Cheeks that look red from strong feeling, heat or exercise

implies enduring healthy red complexion rather than temporary flushing
crimson
vsruddy
3.5

Being red in the face from strong feeling or hard effort

denotes a healthy moderate red rather than intense emotion caused redness

Antonyms

3 7.5

Having a very pale face because of illness, shock, or deep worry

Compounds

A medium shorebird with reddish-brown and black feathers that turns stones to find food

7.1

A small duck with a reddish-brown body and a stiff tail

How Red

crimson
58 3.4
flushed
3.3
ruddy
15 5.3
reddish
33 1.0
rosy
23 1.0
pink
43 1.0

Surface Forms

ruddy positive
ruddier comparative
ruddest superlative

Morphology

ruddy = red (semi-transparent) = rud + y

Meaning is clearly derived from the color 'red' plus the adjectival suffix '-y', but the historical vowel change (red → rud-) and spelling difference may confuse learners.

Etymology

The word ruddy comes from an old root rud- meaning 'red', the same idea you see in red and ruby. So ruddy describes a healthy, rosy 'red' color in the face or on fruit.