When something is ruffled, it's been disturbed or messed up from its smooth, neat state. A bird's feathers get ruffled when it shakes itself after a bath, standing out in all directions instead of lying flat and sleek. Your hair might be ruffled by a strong wind or by someone playfully tousling it. A book's pages can be ruffled when you flip through them quickly.

The word also describes a particular kind of decoration: ruffles are gathered or pleated strips of fabric that create a wavy, rippled edge. You might see ruffles on the collar of a fancy shirt, around the hem of a skirt, or decorating a curtain. These decorative ruffles look deliberately ruffled, if that makes sense. They're meant to have that gathered, wavy appearance.

When talking about feelings, if someone is ruffled, they're annoyed or flustered. A teacher might remain calm when students get noisy, refusing to let the chaos ruffle her. When nothing ruffles you, you stay cool and composed no matter what happens. But if someone ruffles your feathers, they've managed to irritate or upset you, like that bird whose smooth feathers got messed up.