ruffianism

English

Etymology

ruffian +‎ -ism

Noun

ruffianism (countable and uncountable, plural ruffianisms)

  1. The behaviour of a ruffian.
    • 1949, George Orwell, 1984, published 1949, page 242 (in Part III, Chapter I):
      He [i.e. the poet Ampleforth, put in Winston Smith's cell] was shoeless; large, dirty toes were sticking out of the holes in his socks. He was also several days away from a shave. A scrubby beard covered his face to the cheekbones, giving him an air of ruffianism that went oddly with his large weak frame and nervous movements.
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