ragamuffin

[ rag-uh-muhf-in ]

noun

1. a ragged, disreputable person; tatterdemalion.
2. a child in ragged, ill-fitting, dirty clothes.

   Synonyms: street arab, guttersnipe, urchin, waif

ragamuffin

/ ˈræɡəˌmʌfɪn /

noun

1. a ragged unkempt person, esp a child
2. another name for ragga

Word History and Origins

Origin of ragamuffin¹

1350–1400; Middle English Ragamoffyn, name of a demon in the poem Piers Plowman

Word History and Origins

Origin of ragamuffin¹

C14 Ragamoffyn , name of a demon in the poem Piers Plowman (1393); probably based on rag ¹

Example Sentences

To some, he was a rollicking drifter in ragamuffin punk tatters.

From BBC

How could we still be cute ragamuffins, or sensationalized versions of Eagles fans past, if after NFC championship blowouts we run down Broad Street and climb light poles?

From Los Angeles Times

She was the club-hopping ragamuffin, the Marilyn Monroe doppelganger, the dark-haired heretic, the platinum sex goddess.

From Washington Post

It was the late 1970s, punk was sliding into new wave, and Leonard and her friends, including the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, were, by Leonard’s account, “wild little ragamuffin children.”

From New York Times

Despite the scorn of critics, paintings of ragamuffins with giant staring eyes, some holding a kitten or puppy, mostly signed just “Keane,” appeared in cocktail lounges and suburban homes across America.

From New York Times