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
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
From 1657, when tea first became available in London’s coffeehouses, to the early seventeen-hundreds, when women were invited in, recreational tea drinking was the preserve of rumbustious gentlemen.
—David Kortava, The New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2021
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
In August Tito Mboweni, his rumbustious finance minister, published a paper proposing sweeping yet doable reforms.
—The Economist, 19 Oct. 2019
Another popular view holds that Mr Trump’s rude and rumbustious character is really a merit in a time of great geopolitical and spiritual danger.
—The Economist, 5 July 2019
Ausilia, destined for spinsterhood, switches her spying from the lovers to the rumbustious, intimidating Jewish family who gather around the couple.
—Tim Parks, Harper's magazine, 10 Feb. 2019
Sophie Williams, Billboard, 8 May 2025
The movie is both exquisite and rumbustious, stylized and energized.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 5 May 2022
From 1657, when tea first became available in London’s coffeehouses, to the early seventeen-hundreds, when women were invited in, recreational tea drinking was the preserve of rumbustious gentlemen.
—David Kortava, The New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2021
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
In August Tito Mboweni, his rumbustious finance minister, published a paper proposing sweeping yet doable reforms.
—The Economist, 19 Oct. 2019
Another popular view holds that Mr Trump’s rude and rumbustious character is really a merit in a time of great geopolitical and spiritual danger.
—The Economist, 5 July 2019
Ausilia, destined for spinsterhood, switches her spying from the lovers to the rumbustious, intimidating Jewish family who gather around the couple.
—Tim Parks, Harper's magazine, 10 Feb. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rumbustious
Adjective
-
The bar queues remain orderly, the chat is boisterous, but body odour is now rife.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
11 July 2025
-
At a boisterous court hearing Monday, America’s largest for-profit prison company asked a Kansas judge to reconsider whether it should be allowed to reopen its shuttered Leavenworth prison as an immigrant detention center.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
8 July 2025
Adjective
-
Colbert also announced the cancellation to his own audience on Thursday's episode of The Late Show, which was greeted with a raucous round of booing.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
18 July 2025
-
The course last hosted The Open in 2019, when Shane Lowry triumphed in front of a raucous home crowd.—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 July 2025
Adjective
-
But this new version of Krypto is both very powerful and very rambunctious, and Superman has trouble training him, much to the amusement of Superman’s peers like Batman.—
Daniel Dockery,
Vulture,
11 July 2025
-
Our new dogs, Coal and Pepper, are littermates, 2-year-old black-and-white Lab mixes, very curious and rambunctious.—
Michael Barnes,
Austin American Statesman,
2 July 2025
Adjective
-
The law exists to protect documents from fire, theft and rowdy behavior.—
Kaitlyn Keegan,
Hartford Courant,
19 July 2025
-
That frothy film and its title song, which rose to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1961, put Fort Lauderdale on the spring break map — a rowdy reputation the city has distanced itself from for decades.—
Howard Cohen,
Miami Herald,
17 July 2025
Adjective
-
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
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His setlist, a rollicking walk-down-memory-lane of solo hits, NKOTB favorites, standards, show tunes and cover songs, showcased his range as an entertainer, musical virtuoso and keen collaborator.—
Sonal Dutt,
Peoplemag,
23 Jan. 2023
Adjective
-
Yanga features the vibrant colors, lively rhythms, melodic tunes, and bold concepts of Mexican composer Gabriela Ortiz.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
18 July 2025
-
Visitors are always welcome to join the event for a lively meeting filled with camaraderie, inspiring guest speakers, and a delicious lunch.—
News Release,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 July 2025
Adjective
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These creatures can be very noisy, but there's a purpose.—
Marley Malenfant,
Austin American Statesman,
22 July 2025
-
There are also elements that people tend to notice only when things go wrong, like if a restaurant is too noisy.—
Sofia Perez,
Forbes.com,
21 July 2025
Adjective
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The two got married, had a baby, and started a quiet life together far away from his violent past.—
Allison DeGrushe Published,
EW.com,
14 July 2025
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As droves of tourists continue to flock to Spain for European summer vacations, the nation’s emergency responders are dealing with the aftermath of a violent wave of flash flooding in nearly half of the country’s 50 provinces.—
Opheli Garcia Lawler,
Travel + Leisure,
14 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rumbustious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rumbustious. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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