ragamuffin
/'rægə,mʌfin/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: - A dirty, shabbily clothed child, especially one who is poor or homeless: A "ragamuffin" refers to a child, often a street urchin, who is dirty and dressed in torn, ragged, or very poor-quality clothing.
Usage
- The word is used to describe a child whose appearance is notably unkempt and impoverished.
- It often carries a tone of pity or affectionate sympathy, though it can sometimes be used in a mildly derogatory way.
- It is a somewhat old-fashioned or literary term.
Examples
Advanced Usage
- Used affectionately: Sometimes used by adults to describe a child who is playfully messy.
- Come here, you little ragamuffin, and let me wash your face before dinner.
- In literature and history: Commonly appears in stories depicting poverty or street life in past centuries.
Variants and Related Words
- Ragamuffinly (adj., rare): Resembling or characteristic of a ragamuffin.
- Rag (n.): A scrap of cloth; informally, a newspaper of low quality (not directly related but shares the root implying poor quality).
- Tatterdemalion (n.): A person dressed in ragged clothing; a synonym with a similarly literary flavor.
Synonyms
- Urchin: A poor and often mischievous child, especially one who is homeless.
- Street Arab (dated, potentially offensive): An archaic term for a homeless child.
- Waif: A homeless, neglected, or abandoned child, especially one found wandering.
- Guttersnipe (dated): A child of the slums who spends time in the gutters or streets.
Antonyms
- Dandy: A man unduly devoted to style and fashion in dress.
- Beau: A boyfriend or male admirer; a fashionable young man.
- Neatly dressed child: A child wearing clean, tidy, and proper clothing.
Idioms and Phrases
- None that feature "ragamuffin" as a core component. The word itself is typically used as a standalone noun.
Noun
- a dirty shabbily clothed urchin