ruddy

adjective

rud·​dy ˈrə-dē How to pronounce ruddy (audio)
ruddier; ruddiest
1
: having a healthy reddish color
2
3
British
used as an intensive
bellowed like a ruddy bull when she wanted foodDoreen Tovey
ruddily adverb
ruddiness noun

Did you know?

In Old English, there were two related words referring to red coloring: rēad and rudu. Rēad evolved into our present-day red. Rudu evolved into rud (a word now encountered only in dialect or archaic usage) and ruddy. Most often, ruddy is applied to the face when it has the red glow of good health or is red from a suffusion of blood from exercise or excitement. It is also used in the names of some birds, such as the American ruddy duck. In British English, ruddy is also used as a colorful euphemism for the sometimes offensive intensive bloody, as 20th-century English writer Sir Kingsley Amis illustrates in The Riverside Villas Murder: "Ruddy marvelous, the way these coppers' minds work.... I take a swing at Chris Inman in public means I probably done him in."

Examples of ruddy in a Sentence

She has a ruddy face. the ruddy surface of Mars
Recent Examples on the Web This is really nothing more than a fancy demonstration of glorified gardening with ruddy cheeked green thumbers debating the merits of one long-Latin named dahlia or mallow over another. Louis J. Esterhazy, WWD, 16 June 2024 Afterwards, guests congregate together outside in the fresh air for a tea or juice, wearing nothing but a ruddy glow. Harriet Marsden, The Week Uk, theweek, 7 May 2024 Wilma looked serene and a little ruddy cheeked — a natural reaction to refrigeration, services manager Katey Houston said. Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2024 Its 300-tall twin walls (Ship Rock and Creation Rock, both of which contain dinosaur fossils) get their color from iron oxide, the same compound that gives blood and rust their ruddy appearances. John Wenzel, The Denver Post, 16 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for ruddy 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ruddy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English rody, rudy, going back to Old English rudi (attested once), from rudu "red color, redness" (going back to a Germanic base *ruđ-, zero-grade ablaut of *rauđa- "red," whence also Old Icelandic roði "redness") + -i, -ig -y entry 1 — more at red entry 1

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ruddy was in the 13th century

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Dictionary Entries Near ruddy

Cite this Entry

“Ruddy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ruddy. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.

Kids Definition

ruddy

adjective
rud·​dy ˈrəd-ē How to pronounce ruddy (audio)
ruddier; ruddiest
1
: having a healthy reddish color
2
ruddily adverb
ruddiness noun

Medical Definition

ruddy

adjective
rud·​dy ˈrəd-ē How to pronounce ruddy (audio)
ruddier; ruddiest
: having a healthy reddish color
a ruddy complexion

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