Ruffianly
adj, adv
adj, adv ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Adjective
- 1 Like or having the qualities of a ruffian.
"Joseph mumbled indistinctly in the depths of the cellar; but, gave no intimation of ascending; so, his master dived down to him, leaving me vis-à-vis the ruffianly bitch, and a pair of grim, shaggy sheep dogs, who shared with her a jealous guardianship over all my movements."
Adjective
- 1 violent and lawless wordnet
Adverb
- 1 In the manner of a ruffian.
Example
More examples"Joseph mumbled indistinctly in the depths of the cellar; but, gave no intimation of ascending; so, his master dived down to him, leaving me vis-à-vis the ruffianly bitch, and a pair of grim, shaggy sheep dogs, who shared with her a jealous guardianship over all my movements."
Etymology
From ruffian + -ly.
More for "ruffianly"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.