ruffle feathers

idiom
UK: /ˈrʌfl ˈfeðəz/
US: /ˈrʌfəl ˈfeðərz/

  1. To annoy or upset someone; to cause irritation or anger.

    1. I didn't mean to ruffle feathers with my comment.
    2. The new policy is likely to ruffle feathers among the employees who value flexibility.

Synonyms

irritate annoy aggravate upset provoke disrupt
ruffle feathers verb

  1. To disturb or disrupt a peaceful or calm situation.

    1. Let's try not to ruffle feathers during the meeting.
    2. His unexpected question threatened to ruffle feathers and derail the presentation.

Frequently Asked Questions

The phonetic transcription of "ruffle feathers" is /ˈrʌfl ˈfeðəz/ in British English and /ˈrʌfəl ˈfeðərz/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "ruffle feathers": irritate, annoy, aggravate, upset, provoke, disrupt.

Example usage of "ruffle feathers": "I didn't mean to ruffle feathers with my comment.". More examples on the page.