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
This is not a hotel for energetic daytime activities or rowdy nights at the bar. — Jonathan Samuels, TheWeek, 17 July 2026 Golden State started with a 12-2 run to silence a rowdy Indiana crowd. — Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 16 July 2026 The thankful and polite, yet rowdy Post Malone was preceded onstage Wednesday by first opening artist Carter Faith and part-coheadliner, part-opener Jelly Roll . — Sophie Lindberg, Kansas City Star, 16 July 2026 World powers, the sport’s biggest superstars and historically rowdy fanbases were all sent to DFW to put on a show. — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 July 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. lively
  8. gangster
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
  • In front of a boisterous Royal Birkdale crowd, the final round of the 2026 Open absolutely delivered.
    — Justin Ray, New York Times, 19 July 2026
Definition of boisterous
Noun
  • Shortly after his big win, he’s attacked by two thugs in a parking garage.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 30 July 2026
  • The night of the title fight, Duke is attacked by two thugs who smash his hand with a hammer and, in the ensuing chaos, kill somebody close to him.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 2026
Definition of thug
Adjective
  • The first walk-off home run of Clemens’ career set off a raucous celebration in the clubhouse, as the Twins went from having no pulse to running a marathon, delivering an unbelievable 4-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals at Target Field.
    — Dan Hayes, New York Times, 31 July 2026
  • Apple employees were banned after a raucous night of celebrations, but were welcomed back decades later when Marc & Rose Hospitality purchased the hotel in 2011.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 July 2026
Definition of raucous
Noun
  • The detective-heroines (and especially the actress-detectives) in this canon are careful about how performance might be extended to social duplicity, dishonesty, and fraud—but the lady criminals of Victorian detective fiction cross this line easily.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 July 2026
  • From 1873 to 1991, the island served as Costa Rica’s principal penitentiary, where some of the country’s worst criminals were sent to serve often short and torturous sentences.
    — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 24 July 2026
Definition of criminal
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
Noun
  • 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
  • So, while Rue and Maddy are confabbing over milkshakes in a diner, Alamo sends Rue off for a drive with his two toughs, G (Marshawn Lynch) and the icy Bishop (Darrell Britt-Gibson).
    — Marlow Stern, Variety, 11 May 2026
Definition of tough
Adjective
  • Players have long complained about less-lively balls that force them to swing harder to hit them through the court.
    — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 30 July 2026
  • The pilot sets up interesting tensions between Duke and surrogate father Kingsley and a livelier adversarial role for Pinnock, but Kingsley is gone for the majority of the six episodes (out of eight) sent to critics and Pinnock’s absence is felt.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 2026
Definition of lively
Noun
  • Ritchson plays a tough guy who falls for a local gangster’s girl.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 21 July 2026
  • Remember all those fake memoirs from the early 2000s, by all those writers pretending to be addicts and gangsters and Holocaust survivors?
    — James Parker, The Atlantic, 20 July 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 2 Aug. 2026.

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