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Glite Dictionary
ruffianly

ruffianly

9.8
Acting in a violent, rough way that breaks the law
  • adjective
  • /ˈrəfɪənli/
translation icon : matonil
  • The film portrayed the ruffianly behavior of the gang members in vivid detail.

Examples

  • He spoke in a ruffianly tone that made everyone feel uneasy.

  • The ruffianly gang terrorized the neighborhood.

  • The more ruffianly elements in the crowd started causing trouble as night fell.

  • His ruffianly behavior got him into serious trouble.

  • The gang was known for their ruffianly behavior, causing trouble wherever they went.

  • He spoke in a ruffianly tone, making it clear he didn't care for the rules.

  • The film depicted a ruffianly character who lived outside the law and thrived on chaos.

Synonyms

tough
vsruffianly
445 6.0

People or places that are violent and likely to cause trouble

is similar but more about rough personal behaviour than sheer lawbreaking intent
unruly
vsruffianly
41 4.3

Difficult to control and messy or noisy

leans more toward deliberate rough and lawless behaviour rather than mere disorder
disorderly
vsruffianly
34 4.4

Behaving badly and not following rules

is harsher, highlighting violent, lawless behaviour rather than simple rule breaking
rowdy
vsruffianly
34 3.6

Making a lot of noise and disturbing other people

adds more emphasis on deliberate roughness and lawless conduct rather than noise
thuggish
vsruffianly
  • NSFW
5 7.4

Acts violently to scare other people

is violent too but stresses a ruffian character rather than organised crime
riotous
vsruffianly
2 7.9

Noisy violent behavior in public that is out of control

focuses more on a person’s rough, lawless manner than group unrest
rampageous
vsruffianly
  • NSFW
9.9

Very violent and likely to destroy things

is similar but usually less wildly destructive and more personal in nature

Antonyms

civil
585 3.9

Polite but not friendly or warm

law-abiding
63 3.4

Following the law and not breaking rules

How Violent

brutal
  • NSFW
229 4.8
violent
  • Offensive
∞ 2.5
ruffianly
9.8
rough
114 3.9
gentle
235 1.0

Surface Forms

ruffianly positive

Morphology

ruffianly = ruffian (transparent) = ruffian + ly

The adjective 'ruffianly' is transparently derived from the noun 'ruffian' with the addition of the adverbial suffix '-ly'.

Etymology

Ruffianly comes from the noun ruffian, a word for a bad or violent man that entered English from old French and Italian words for a disreputable person. A helpful way to remember it is that ruffianly sounds like 'rough', so it describes 'rough' or 'violent' behaviour.