Meaning & use
Ruffling
Last updated
Disturbing the smoothness or calm of something, such as feathers, hair, water, or a person's composure.
See it in a sentence
The wind was ruffling the surface of the lake into small waves.
His blunt comment ended up ruffling a few feathers at the meeting.
A note on using this word
The phrase 'ruffle feathers' comes from birds physically puffing up their feathers when agitated or threatened.
Words with a similar meaning
rumplingdisturbing
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
smoothingcalming
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