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

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 Adult Supervision – known locally as Arkipelag – follows three fathers who chaperone their teenage daughters on a rowdy school trip to a remote island. — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 21 Aug. 2026 The little girl could be heard well over a rowdy crowd that had about been lulled into passiveness — and eventually, boos in the fifth round — in the humdrum title fight. — CBS News, 16 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for rowdy

Recent Examples of Synonyms for rowdy

Adjective

Indeed, the polar opposite of both Number One’s icy demeanor and Chapel’s long-suffering yearning, Majel is remembered by friends and colleagues as a boisterous, brassy, take-no-prisoners presence.

— Scott Huver, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026
But the costly interceptions by last season’s MVP runner-up turned the tide and made sure that the banner-raising night would end in happy fashion for the boisterous home crowd.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of boisterous

Noun

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
On a cold night in November 2011, in a field outside Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine, a gang of thugs stormed a Soviet scientific research institute, beat and humiliated the staff and burned the place to the ground.

— Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of thug

Adjective

The two set out with Ross, a raucous party boy, and the three drive to a secluded, bucolic manor.

— Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 16 Sep. 2026
Bloom played the dashing blacksmith Will Turner, who teams up with the eccentric pirate Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) to save his forever love, Elizabeth Swann (Knightley) from a gang of raucous, rival pirates.

— Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Sep. 2026

Definition of raucous

Noun

Victims who clicked those ads were redirected to fake banking websites controlled by the criminals, according to the DOJ.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026
Trump, his family and his wealthy cronies are criminals spending taxpayers’ money and taking it with their underhanded deals with our enemies.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 18 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

Suzanne, the sulky, artistic type, scowls and pointedly ignores their noisy energy.

— Jessica Kiang, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026
Operations teams call this noisy neighbors, data modelers call it hot keys, queueing theory calls it head-of-line blocking, and your customer calls it slow.

— Manas Chaudhari, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of noisy

Noun

Unfolding over eight episodes, this brash gangster romp is ludicrous enough to be entertaining in its own way; but the dialogue and plotting really are unforgivably bad.

— The Week UK, TheWeek, 10 Sep. 2026
Michelle Yeoh stars as a gifted doctor forced at gunpoint to operate on a gangster with a life-threatening condition.

— Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 10 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 23 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of rowdy

adjective

noun

Example Sentences

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