ROWDY Synonyms: 154 Similar and Opposite Words

rowdy 1 of 2

adjective

ˈrau̇-dē

Definition of rowdy

as in boisterous

being rough or noisy in a high-spirited way a rowdy but good-natured group of teenagers

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

rowdy

2 of 2

noun

as in thug

a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang rowdies had overtaken the neighborhood and were threatening people on the street

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 rowdy

Adjective

Despite whatever news comes from the court system today, Lane Kiffin’s debut as LSU coach should be rowdy. — Chris Branch, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026 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 The family section in the lower bowl of Oracle Park has been plenty rowdy over the last 24 hours. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 30 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 See All Example Sentences for rowdy

Recent Examples of Synonyms for rowdy

Adjective

Unlike regular golf tournaments, the first tee is boisterous with a flag-waving crowd and music.

— ABC News, ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026
The result is a boisterous, exhausting drama that struggles to balance trauma, satire and the painful legacy of Black sitcom fame.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of boisterous

Noun

The residents occasionally gather in a disused rec center but the meetings devolve into rants about immigrants, junkies, thugs and vigilantism.

— Jessica Kiang, Variety, 26 Sep. 2026
That a Christian man was responsible for the devastation in Oklahoma City certainly didn’t matter to the thugs who terrorized a Muslim woman there, nearly seven months pregnant, by attacking her home, breaking her windows, screaming religious slurs.

— Reshma Memon Yaqub, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of thug

Adjective

Nico Hoerner got the Cubs’ only hit off King with a one-out infield single in the seventh, but King racked up two more strikeouts to earn the last of several standing ovations from the raucous sellout crowd watching his third career playoff start.

— ABC News, ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026
The Braves have earned an extra-large advantage by taking the first game before a raucous afternoon crowd at Truist.

— Ken Sugiura, AJC.com, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of raucous

Noun

Removing violent criminals, gang members, cartel members and those who refuse to work is wise and popular policy.

— Don Bacon, Washington Post, 25 Sep. 2026
Americans have demonized us as criminals, buffoons, lechers, invaders, criminals and job stealers since the fall of the Alamo.

— Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of criminal

Adjective

Sunny, a rambunctious Portuguese water dog that President Barack Obama got at the start of his second term in the White House, died Tuesday at the age of 13, Obama announced.

— Amy B Wang, Washington Post, 16 Sep. 2026
When her beloved dog Krypto is poisoned, Kara teams with a vengeful teen (Eve Ridley) and a rambunctious bounty hunter (Jason Momoa) to hunt down the vicious outlaw responsible.

— Brian Truitt, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of rambunctious

Noun

And Susan Collins, as Democrats have seen time and time again, is a real tough out.

— NBC news, NBC news, 21 June 2026
In that version, the character is played by Joe Don Baker, the great character actor known for playing toughs in films like Walking Tall (1973) and Fletch (1985).

— Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 5 June 2026

Definition of tough

Adjective

The world is too noisy; therefore, people are less perceptive.

— Josh Zajdman, Vogue, 29 Sep. 2026
For spring/summer 2027, pastels were used to regulate noisier silhouettes and prints, and as a check on volume and pattern, as opposed to being chosen as a soft, safe default.

— Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of noisy

Noun

Somebody like Gilroy or Jeff Kober and Barry Corbin (popping up occasionally as a pair of geriatric gangsters) will come and go in situations knowingly designed to feel contrived.

— Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2026
Though Pachinko featured more angels than demons, Lee still convincingly inhabited Koh Hansu, the gangster and groomer.

— Sanjena Sathian, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of gangster

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rowdiness

rowdy

rowdyish

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“Rowdy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rowdy. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of rowdy

adjective

noun

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