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View synonyms for ruddy

ruddy

[ ruhd-ee ]

adjective

, rud·di·er, rud·di·est.
  1. of or having a fresh, healthy red color:

    a ruddy complexion.

  2. red or reddish.
  3. British Slang. damned:

    a ruddy fool.



adverb

  1. British Slang. damned:

    He'd ruddy well better be there.

ruddy

/ ˈrʌdɪ /

adjective

  1. (of the complexion) having a healthy reddish colour, usually resulting from an outdoor life
  2. coloured red or pink

    a ruddy sky



adverb

  1. (intensifier) bloody; damned

    a ruddy fool

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Derived Forms

  • ˈruddily, adverb
  • ˈruddiness, noun

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Other Words From

  • ruddi·ly adverb
  • ruddi·ness noun

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Word History and Origins

Origin of ruddy1

before 1100; Middle English rudi, Old English rudig. See rudd, -y 1

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Word History and Origins

Origin of ruddy1

Old English rudig , from rudu redness (see rudd ); related to Old High German rot red 1, Swedish rod , Old Norse rythga to make rusty

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Example Sentences

It was a regular feature for us to be scared out of our minds, because the hill was a layer of ice and it was ruddy.

His complexion was ruddy, his fair skin burnt from time in the sun.

“Some years ago I introduced Dick to former President Bill Clinton,” Ruddy wrote.

One of the boys, a stocky ruddy-faced blond teen, vanished after he and Middleton got drunk on rubbing alcohol.

Yet now, Obama has need for more—much more—than a jolly, ruddy dude who serves as a racial palliative.

By July 23, Karadzic looked like himself, albeit a bit thinner, his skin shallow compared to its wartime ruddy glow.

Tom himself was burly, ruddy, broad, and rather above middle size.

He was a big-bodied, big-hearted, ruddy-faced, farmerlike man of fifty or so; and the service was proud of him.

He was a big man, and looked bigger than he was; good-looking too; ruddy, portly, well-dressed and formal.

He stepped hastily back, his cheeks, before so fresh and ruddy, were now blanched with a deadly pallor.

A cheerful fire was roaring up the great chimney, and she was literally basking in the warmth the ruddy blaze diffused around.

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