Adjective: ruff
Comparison Forms
Synthetic
| Comparative | ruffer |
| Superlative | ruffest |
Perifrastic
Sample Sentences
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The Herb Pantagruelion hath a little Root somewhat hard and ruff, roundish, terminating in an obtuse and very blunt Point, and having some of its Veins, Strings or Filaments coloured with some spots of white, […] [1653, Francis Rabelais [i.e., François Rabelais]; [Peter Anthony Motteux, transl.], “How Pantagruel Did Put Himself in a Readiness to Go to Sea; and of the Herb Named Pantagruelion”, in The Works of Mr. Francis Rabelais Doctor in Physick, Containing Five Books of the Lives, Heroick Deeds and Sayings of Gargantua and His Sonne Pantagruel: Together with the Pantagrueline Prognostication, the Oracle of the Divine Bacbuc, and Response of the Bottle: Hereunto are Annexed the Navigations unto the Sounding Isle and the Isle of the Apedefts: As Likewise the Philosophical Cream with a Limosin Epistle all Done by Mr. Francis Rabelais in the French Tongue and Now Faithfully Translated into English […] In Two Volumes, volume II, London: Privately printed for the Navarre Society Limited, 23 New Oxford Street, W.C., published 1921, →OCLC, book III, pages 57–58:]
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Up to this time it have been an uphill bisness. The teem was a good one, and the gear all sound, and the waggin greasd, but the rode is perhaps the ruffest in the world. [1873, Bill Arp [pseudonym; Charles Henry Smith], “Nineteenth Paper: Bill Arp Addresses His Feller Citizens”, in Bill Arp’s Peace Papers, New York, N.Y.: G. W. Carleton & Co., publishers; London: S[ampson] Low, Son & Co., →OCLC, page 128:]
Adjectives inflected like ruff
sallow,
smooth,
slight,
sleigh,
sordid,
somber,
shweet,
shrill,
shrewd,
yellow,
yaller,
hard knock,
DRY,
Greek,
cut short,
unquiet,
unclean,
indiscreet,
chipper,
straicht, etc. (List truncated at 20 adjectives)
Etymology