ruffled

Ruffled is a term used across clothing, textiles, and descriptive language to indicate raised, decorative folds or a disturbed surface. In fashion and home textiles, ruffles are strips of fabric gathered or pleated along a seam to create a frilled, wavy edge. A ruffled blouse, dress, or curtain features these gathered elements to add fullness and visual interest. The adjective ruffled describes both the fabric and the resulting appearance.

Beyond decoration, ruffled can describe a surface that is uneven, wrinkled, or disturbed. A ruffled bedspread may have a crumpled look, and wind on a lake can create a ruffled surface on the water. The term thus covers both intentional design choices and natural irregularities.

As a verb, to ruffle means to disturb or disarrange something, creating a raised edge or crack in texture. It can also mean to irritate or upset someone, as in the idiom to ruffle someone’s feathers, which denotes causing annoyance or fluster. The expression often conveys a temporary state of agitation rather than lasting damage.

Etymology traces ruffle and ruffled to the broader family of words describing folds and frills in textiles and surfaces, with origins in English usage dating back to the Middle Ages. The concept is closely related to frills, pleats, and trims, which serve similar decorative or textural purposes.

In summary, ruffled describes both a decorative fabric treatment and a state of disturbance—whether literal, as in textile design, or figurative, as in a person feeling flustered or upset.