1
a
: of the nature of a riot : turbulent
b
: participating in riot
riotously
adverb
riotousness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of riotous in a Sentence
a riotous profusion of flowers
his riotous mugging always has everyone in hysterics
Recent Examples on the Web
The focus of this new book comes from two or so years of traveling around the world photographing subjects in their homes, but with a very riotous addition to the frame: children.
—
Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 12 Apr. 2024
Under Stanislavsky’s direction, two years later, the play was a riotous success.
—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
With its riotous beat and shout-along hook, the song immediately took off on streaming, even rising to the No. 1 spot on Apple Music’s realtime chart on Saturday.
—Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 20 Mar. 2024
Peonies, avens, and geraniums in riotous colors lead the way.
—Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 19 Mar. 2024
The area was once a riotous tangle of green trees and rare plants that more closely resembled a forest than a desert.
—Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024
The subcommittee's review also noted that the crossbeam and noose weren't added to the wood base until the 1 p.m. hour — the same hour when the riotous mob began attacking police officers and advancing toward and beyond the police line.
—Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 18 Mar. 2024
But compared with the riotous diversity of a rainforest, the columns — like brigades of upright feather dusters — can become as monotonous as elevator music.
—Patricia Cohen Jes Aznar, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024
Almost three decades before, Spike Lee’s similarly provocative Do the Right Thing articulated its own unsafe idea (riotous anger is warranted) so effectively that people feared the movie would incite violence.
—Kishori Rajan, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2024
Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 12 Apr. 2024
Under Stanislavsky’s direction, two years later, the play was a riotous success.
—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
With its riotous beat and shout-along hook, the song immediately took off on streaming, even rising to the No. 1 spot on Apple Music’s realtime chart on Saturday.
—Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 20 Mar. 2024
Peonies, avens, and geraniums in riotous colors lead the way.
—Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 19 Mar. 2024
The area was once a riotous tangle of green trees and rare plants that more closely resembled a forest than a desert.
—Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024
The subcommittee's review also noted that the crossbeam and noose weren't added to the wood base until the 1 p.m. hour — the same hour when the riotous mob began attacking police officers and advancing toward and beyond the police line.
—Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 18 Mar. 2024
But compared with the riotous diversity of a rainforest, the columns — like brigades of upright feather dusters — can become as monotonous as elevator music.
—Patricia Cohen Jes Aznar, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024
Almost three decades before, Spike Lee’s similarly provocative Do the Right Thing articulated its own unsafe idea (riotous anger is warranted) so effectively that people feared the movie would incite violence.
—Kishori Rajan, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'riotous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near riotous
Cite this Entry
“Riotous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/riotous. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Legal Definition
riotous
adjective
ri·ot·ous
ˈrī-ə-təs 
1
: of the nature of a riot
riotous conduct
2
: participating in a riot
a riotous assemblage
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