rowdy 1 of 2

adjective

ˈrau̇-dē How to pronounce rowdy (audio)
Definition of rowdynext
as in boisterous
being rough or noisy in a high-spirited way a rowdy but good-natured group of teenagers

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 Arizona State student section, 12,000 strong and rowdy at kickoff, was down to less than 100 diehards midway through the fourth quarter. — Doug Haller, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026 Not to mention her infamously rowdy rooftop interview at the 1995 VMAs, throwing shade with Courtney Love and Kurt Loder. — Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2026 Authorities are urging people to avoid an herbal extract found during their investigations into the deaths of two students – one on and one off campus – at the University of Mississippi following a rowdy weekend centered on a major football rivalry. — Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2026 The first Monday Night Football matchup of the 2026 season was a total disaster class for the Denver Broncos, who got flattened 31-10 by the Kansas City Chiefs at a rowdy Arrowhead Stadium. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 15 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for rowdy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rowdy
  1. boisterous
  2. thug
  3. raucous
  4. criminal
  5. rambunctious
  6. tough
  7. noisy
  8. gangster
Adjective
  • It’s known for its fresh seafood in a boisterous, almost beer-hall atmosphere.
    — Christopher Solomon, Travel + Leisure, 28 Oct. 2026
  • During the first Senate debate of the cycle in September at the Kansas State Fairgrounds, Marshall was repeatedly heckled and interrupted by boisterous audience members.
    — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of boisterous
Noun
  • The other was Albrecht Hohler, thirty, a Communist member of the paramilitary group the Red Front Fighters and well known locally as a particularly vicious thug—a petty criminal who had been released from jail only a few months earlier.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2026
  • These low-level thugs typically are not believed to be formally aligned with Iran.
    — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of thug
Adjective
  • Rooms Housed in an old bank building, the Countrypolitan’s 134 rooms are the antidote to the hotel’s dark and raucous lobby.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The host Seahawks, defending Super Bowl champions, held the Chiefs without a touchdown in a 20-3 drubbing at raucous Lumen Field.
    — Jeff Rosen, Kansas City Star, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of raucous
Noun
  • The 83-year-old Mann is known for directing gritty crime stories, many of which look at cops and criminals and are set in urban landscapes.
    — Brent Lang, IndieWire, 1 Nov. 2026
  • If a criminal still controls the sender's inbox, that person could potentially intercept the question and send a reassuring answer.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of criminal
Adjective
  • The rambunctious teenagers crammed into a lecture hall suddenly went quiet when a woman old enough to be their great-grandmother, and smaller in stature than many of them, approached the podium.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Bryan echoing the Truckers is very good news, since their own rambunctious salad days eventually yielded some of this century’s best American anthems.
    — Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of rambunctious
Noun
  • Déclassé warriors, sometimes joined by street toughs from other walks of life, gave themselves the airs of swashbuckling samurai.
    — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • And Susan Collins, as Democrats have seen time and time again, is a real tough out.
    — NBC news, NBC news, 21 June 2026
Definition of tough
Adjective
  • Bulky and noisy battery energy storage systems could be a thing of the past, as a global technology company, Sigenergy, Tuesday launched its commercial and industrial battery range in Australia.
    — Muskan Bhatia, Interesting Engineering, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Platner’s noisy ascension and implosion didn’t just leave the Democrats looking untrustworthy.
    — Chris Smith, Vanity Fair, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of noisy
Noun
  • All those old Warner Brothers gangster movies were always playing on TV.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 29 Oct. 2026
  • The Capone associates lined up six members of Moran's gang, and a seventh unaffiliated man who apparently liked hanging out with gangsters, against the north wall of the garage.
    — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of gangster

Browse Nearby Words

rowdiness
rowdy
rowdyish
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Cite this Entry

“Rowdy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rowdy. Accessed 4 Nov. 2026.

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