as in boisterous
being rough or noisy in a high-spirited way
while American university debates tend to be sedate affairs, their counterparts in Oxford are wholeheartedly rumbustious
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Recent Examples of rumbustious
In the crowd at that rumbustious Democratic Convention in 1896 was a journeyman journalist, L. Frank Baum, who had a number of careers behind him by that time.
—
David McWilliams, Fortune, 16 Nov. 2025
Around this time, the outfit’s quirky, lightly rumbustious songs began to resonate across British press and radio; accessible while containing a marked dose of strangeness, Fontaine’s songwriting – at once emotionally raw and witty – boasted a strong multi-generational appeal.
—Sophie Williams, Billboard, 8 May 2025
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
The tech titans, with their somewhat rumbustious Bay Area staffers, look quite vulnerable.
—The Economist, 22 June 2020
David McWilliams, Fortune, 16 Nov. 2025
Around this time, the outfit’s quirky, lightly rumbustious songs began to resonate across British press and radio; accessible while containing a marked dose of strangeness, Fontaine’s songwriting – at once emotionally raw and witty – boasted a strong multi-generational appeal.
—Sophie Williams, Billboard, 8 May 2025
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
The tech titans, with their somewhat rumbustious Bay Area staffers, look quite vulnerable.
—The Economist, 22 June 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rumbustious
Adjective
-
Lord and Miller are boisterous funnymen, with a flair for the exaggerated and the outlandish that feels born of their frequent work in animation.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
-
There’s her sister, Dorothy (Jamie Lee Curtis), who’s as loud and boisterous as Kay is quiet and disciplined.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Both received raucous applause and cheers Wednesday as the Cougars beat West Virginia 68-48 to advance to the quarterfinals.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
12 Mar. 2026
-
The statement over the arena’s PA system was nearly drowned out by a raucous cheer, and the energy in the building never faded until the UConn women’s basketball team was holding its Big East championship trophy under a rainbow shower of confetti.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Clever, funny and visually appealing, Daniel Chong’s nutty action comedy zips along, driven by rambunctious energy and a spirited Mark Mothersbaugh score.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Mar. 2026
-
For months, this young, rambunctious, and altogether infectious bunch played with house money, thumbing their collective noses at the idea of another year of rebuild futility.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
During an outing with Kennedy's family at a rowdy pub, the pair snuck away for an impromptu date.—
Staff Author,
InStyle,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Leave your beach read at home, as the rowdy atmosphere is the main draw here.—
Melanie van Zyl,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
His lightning guitar work — alongside a mandolinist, fiddler, upright-bassist and banjo player who are not too shabby on their respective strings themselves — delivered a rollicking half-hour that gave the fans in the bleachers plenty to dance to.—
Jared Kaufman,
Twin Cities,
21 Sep. 2025
-
Joy’s jazzy, smoky version of the Marvin Gaye classic, coupled with her velvety vocals, sparked another rollicking ovation led by John who was the first to stand up.—
Gail Mitchell,
Billboard,
4 Feb. 2023
Adjective
-
Locals consistently rave about FIG and Leon’s Oyster Shop, though wandering around aimlessly—especially on the city’s lively King Street—is part of the fun, too.—
Annie Daly,
Vogue,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Anecdotally, schools with bell-to-bell bans report livelier lunchtime conversations, and some research suggests that time and distance are critical for counteracting phones’ addictive tendencies.—
Theo Peck-Suzuki,
Hartford Courant,
9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Bauder admonished the crowd several times for being too noisy, and police removed a protester who yelled vulgar comments.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Anthemic action was giving way to chill mantras, as if to regulate the ever noisier, ever more distracting world.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Although the heat has everyone dealing with some degree of dampness, sweating is often a source of violent embarrassment for you.—
Addie Citchens,
New Yorker,
8 Mar. 2026
-
In Send Help, now in theaters, Linda (Rachel McAdams) and her overbearing boss Bradley (Dylan O’Brien) survive a plane crash and become stranded on a deserted island, where their past office grievances become a violent fight for survival.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rumbustious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rumbustious. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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