hell-raising

adjective

as in rowdy
being rough or noisy in a high-spirited way would often reminisce with his buddies about their hell-raising adventures as teenagers

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hell-raising His gruff mechanic Cooter Davenport is introduced as a hell-raising, uncouth wild man, constantly taunting the authorities and flouting convention. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Aug. 2026 Still, he's still got plenty of hell-raising left in him. — Joey Guerra, Houston Chronicle, 19 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hell-raising
  1. rowdy
  2. rambunctious
  3. boisterous
  4. raucous
  5. rollicking
  6. rumbustious
  7. knockabout
  8. lively
Adjective
  • As Musashi scrambles through a school of Samurai, the game seamlessly bounces between skillful swordplay, rowdy improvisation, and Looney Tunes-style levity.
    — Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 31 Aug. 2026
  • In front of a rowdy Queens crowd, the superstars surged in their debut to a 5-3, 4-1 victory against Routliffe and Glasspool, despite a slow start.
    — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of rowdy
Adjective
  • There’s also a kids water park for the more rambunctious members of the family to get their energy out.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Enter a rambunctious alien, who crash-lands on Earth just when Lilo needs him the most.
    — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of rambunctious
Adjective
  • The boisterous, perhaps even hard-to-corral high school teenage boys would go silent.
    — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Despite his undoubted technical ability, the boisterous midfielder is known for his aggressive play in the centre of the park which often draws the ire of fans of rival clubs.
    — Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of boisterous
Adjective
  • As was the raucous song of the small-block two feet from my spine, but that part is probably the least surprising of all.
    — Jerry Perez, The Drive, 3 Sep. 2026
  • With the help of a few martinis and flutes of champagne, the raucous lineup of friends, muses, and confidantes sat still long enough to take the portrait accompanying this story.
    — José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of raucous
Adjective
  • Murphy then appeared on stage to a rollicking standing ovation and made his way to his place at the dais toward the back of the room.
    — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 19 Apr. 2026
  • Those self-aware lyrics are paired with breezy melody and a gently rollicking rhythm, making this feel like a freewheeling summertime favorite.
    — Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 24 Mar. 2026
Definition of rollicking
Adjective
  • The movie is both exquisite and rumbustious, stylized and energized.
    — Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 5 May 2022
  • Still, there’s a lot of pleasing vitality to this great American story about how clever brewers took an ancient idea and unlocked an unheard-of range of innovations with a combination of capitalist energy and rumbustious creativity.
    — Kyle Smith, National Review, 18 Apr. 2021
Definition of rumbustious
Adjective
  • The style is almost knockabout, with a color palette reminiscent of Coralie Fargeat, but quickly evolves into its own thing with the arrival of Taquin as Margot, a medical student at a nearby hospital.
    — Damon Wise, Deadline, 15 May 2026
  • Though thematically vague, thinly plotted and without a reliably sympathetic soul to cling to, the movie has a mutinous energy and an absurd, knockabout charm; even its violence is more quirky than brutal.
    — JEANNETTE CATSOULIS, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2017
Definition of knockabout
Adjective
  • Stop into Mercat Municipal, a lively indoor market where locals shop for fresh produce, meat, and fish.
    — Condé Nast Traveler, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The crowd outside the courthouse was liveliest in late August, when dozens of women wearing pink rallied to show support for Clancy and raise awareness about postpartum mental health, the central pillar of Clancy’s defense.
    — Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of lively

Browse Nearby Words

hellos
hell-raising
hells
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hell-raising.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hell-raising. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All