as in bothering
to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts
the stream of minor complaints finally ruffled him into snapping, "If you don't like the way I'm doing it, do it yourself!"
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Recent Examples of ruffling
The bricks under my fingers, a breeze ruffling my hair.
—
CBS News, 28 Dec. 2025
The critique appears to have drawn support from most viewers, even if ruffling the feathers of others.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Nov. 2025
Older girls occasionally cornered me on the playground, ruffling my hair and calling me silly names.
—Madhuri Vijay, New Yorker, 16 Nov. 2025
This is still a Hollywood spectacle, complete with explosions and celebrities and deep-cut needle drops, slick enough to keep Paramount happy without ruffling in-house censors’ feathers yet cool enough to not seem like an assembly-line product.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruffling
Verb
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Ibrahim keeps bothering me endlessly, touching my leg and thigh.—
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Ask her if anything is bothering her.—
Verb
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Sometimes, rage bait can be relatively harmless – a recipe that contains disgusting food combinations or someone annoying their pet, partner or sibling.—
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But what’s been annoying me even more is that these women should have been trained by producers to start recording on their own cell phones if drama starts to unfold after cameras go down.—
Verb
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That thing’s been bugging on him for a while.—
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Then Julian dropped one of his wireless earbuds into Olympia’s purse, using it as a crude bugging device.—
Verb
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Fresh air helps clear out lingering smells, dust, and potentially irritating VOCs, says Mitchell.—
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Meanwhile, discussions with siblings, relatives and neighbors might be irritating or worse.—
Verb
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Trump has repeatedly alleged that the South African government is actively persecuting white citizens, particularly farmers.—
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The former human-rights lawyer entered on a tourist visa and filed for political asylum in October of that year, claiming the governments that succeeded Correa were persecuting him.—
Verb
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If Carolina is thinking about the big picture, giving Coker the extra year, perhaps valued as a first- or second-round tender, is just getting ahead of a formality.—
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Chief among them is getting to be a mentor to newer cast members, such as Marcello Hernández.—
Verb
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Ahead of the front, temperatures surged into the 80s, breaking daily heat records over the past two days, while breezy conditions spread a haze of cedar pollen across Austin, aggravating seasonal allergies for many residents.—
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Gordon practiced for the first time in over a month on Wednesday after aggravating a groin injury.—
Cite this Entry
“Ruffling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruffling. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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