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
-
Bilodeau has boisterous moments.—
Aaron Heisen,
Daily News,
3 Mar. 2026
-
The classic posture is that the CEO needs to exhibit charisma, which is often characterized as boisterous, dominant and loud.—
Neil Senturia,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The major resorts anchor raucous, nonstop nightlife—live music, rooftop bars, bowling alleys, arcades, and late-night eats.—
Ted Alvarez,
Outside,
4 Mar. 2026
-
The raucous crowd certainly made a difference.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
4 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
-
After his release, LaBeouf was seen drinking a beer and posing with fans while watching the rowdy festivities.—
Cheyenne Roundtree,
Rolling Stone,
26 Feb. 2026
-
For generations, the Peso has remained familiar, whether for an afternoon beer and a round of pool, a rowdy nightcap, a rite-of-passage drink after turning 21 or the annual Thanksgiving Eve reunion revelry.—
Leanne Battelle,
Mercury News,
24 Feb. 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
-
The steak was soft on the inside and as crunchy as the herb-flecked fries on the out, and the buttery Dijon spread ringing the plate added a lively dimension.—
Matthew Odam,
Austin American Statesman,
2 Mar. 2026
-
This is one of our liveliest, a recipe packed with fresh berries and savory bacon, making for an ideal flavor balance.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
1 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The five teams scatter to their work stations, bemoaning the 92-degree heat (no one complains about the noisy vroom vroom of the racecar driving around, which surprises me), and get to work.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Plans for rest could be disrupted by noisy requests from nearby.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
In its early days, the UFC was so violent, with almost no rules, that it was effectively exiled to pay-per-view.—
Luke Burbank,
CBS News,
1 Mar. 2026
-
As the material appears to shift from soft to hard, the outward and downward movements of the tubes no longer suggest the gentle pressure of filling and escaping air, but imply a decidedly more violent bending and crushing of metal, as if the tubes had been pushed out of shape against their will.—
Gordon Hughes,
Artforum,
1 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rumbustious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rumbustious. Accessed 8 Mar. 2026.
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