ruffle
To make something messy or to upset someone slightly.
ruffle in a sentence
- The wind began to ruffle the cat's fur the wrong way, and she stalked off in a huff.
- One gust of wind was enough to ruffle the tidy pile of homework and scatter it across the room.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to ruffle?
- Asmooth
- Bupset
- Ccalm
- Dtidy
Show the answer
B: upset. The other three mean the opposite of ruffle.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to ruffle?
- Amess
- Bdisturb
- Cupset
- Dsmooth
Show the answer
D: smooth. The other three mean nearly the same as ruffle.
Words that mean something similar
upset, mess, disturb
Words that mean the opposite
smooth, calm, tidy
More words about movement & action
- rummage: To search for something by moving things around in a messy way.
- rupture: To burst or break apart suddenly.
- salvage: To save something useful from a wreck or disaster.
- saunter: To walk in a slow and relaxed way with no hurry at all.
- scavenge: To search through leftovers or rubbish for anything useful to eat or keep.
- scour: To search every part of a place very carefully.
- scuttle: To run with quick short steps, often to hide.
- seize: To grab something suddenly and firmly.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test