noun
Refers to a rough, often violent man, especially one involved in crime or street gangs. Similar to ならず者.
See also: ならず者
あの辺りは夜になるとゴロツキが出るから気をつけて。
Be careful around there at night because thugs come out.
彼は街のゴロツキたちとつるんでいる。
He hangs around with the local hoodlums.
Ateji kanji form; rarely used and may not be recognized by all readers.
ならず者 is a more formal or literary term for an outlaw or ruffian, while ゴロツキ is a colloquial, everyday word for a thug or street punk.
チンピラ specifically refers to a low-ranking yakuza member or a young punk, often implying inexperience, whereas ゴロツキ is a broader term for any rough, violent man.
The origin is uncertain. The kanji 破落戸 is ateji (characters used for their sounds, not meanings). The word may derive from mimetic or sound-symbolic elements suggesting roughness or rolling, but this is speculative.