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

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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 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. violent
  8. lively
Adjective
  • Recounting her boyfriend calling the police on her during their fraught break-up, the chorus rings out over rowdy snares like a brutal playground taunt.
    — Will Pritchard, Pitchfork, 20 July 2026
  • This is not a hotel for energetic daytime activities or rowdy nights at the bar.
    — Jonathan Samuels, TheWeek, 17 July 2026
Definition of rowdy
Adjective
  • The picture of Cardinals cool, Walker chased down Kyle Schwarber, shut up a rambunctious Philly crowd and introduced himself to a much wider baseball world.
    — Dan Gelston, AJC.com, 14 July 2026
  • The project’s name is what Sprouse and Columbus call their friend group of rambunctious guys.
    — Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 7 July 2026
Definition of rambunctious
Adjective
  • Over six weeks of World Cup play, boisterous watch parties strengthened that claim, helping draw more than 900,000 visits downtown.
    — Ryan Macasero, Mercury News, 19 July 2026
  • That includes Ghana, which received a boisterous welcome to KC after arriving here for its Round-of-32 match against Colombia.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 17 July 2026
Definition of boisterous
Adjective
  • Silent and purposeful, the pelicans cut through a raucous chaos of gulls at the end of the wharf and glided on into the marsh.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 July 2026
  • Instead of capping raucous Bastille Day celebrations in France with a trip to the World Cup final, Deschamps and his squad will travel to Miami to play in the third-place game.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 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
  • Bullish risk reversal In an attempt to capitalize on the historically expensive downside SPCX options and position for a violent snap-back, this risk reversal seeks to finance upside exposure by fading the put skew.
    — Jeff Kilburg, CNBC, 17 July 2026
  • As the administration forges ahead with its immigration enforcement campaign, former ICE officials and policing experts warned that resuming vehicle stops without a thorough review of training or tactics could lead to more violent encounters.
    — Christopher Cann, USA Today, 17 July 2026
Definition of violent
Adjective
  • The three-deck sphere (hence, the name sphere class) at the heart of the ship is a lively social hub.
    — Tracey Teo, AJC.com, 23 July 2026
  • Stone-Robb pointed to its cliffs, ocean views, surf breaks, walkable streets, and a lively central market as the likely cause of its popularity, noting that home prices here run lower than in nearby Cascais despite a similar coastal appeal.
    — Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 23 July 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 25 Jul. 2026.

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