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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 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
-
The heavily partisan Missouri crowd was boisterous and passionate throughout, making the setting feel almost like Mizzou Arena at times.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
21 Mar. 2026
-
The Israeli interviewees in Theroux’s documentary are portrayed as boisterous and open about their plans to fully occupy the West Bank and promote Palestinian relocation.—
Rafa Sales Ross,
Variety,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The raucous punk-rockers will release Public Luxury, the follow-up to 2017’s Cost of Living, on June 26, via Sub Pop.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Tiafoe said he was energized by the raucous Miami crowd.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
And in the nation’s third-largest city, home to one of the most rambunctious celebrations of the holiday, young partygoers were eager to swagger between bars and parties with the drinks, usually dyed kelly green.—
Alice Yin,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Mar. 2026
-
In a pair of especially rambunctious games between the Florida Panthers and the Lightning over the holidays, Douglas was in the middle of it, fighting Luke Kunin and Niko Mikkola.—
Thomas Drance,
New York Times,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Jeep Wrangler Anvil 715 Concept Of all the 2026 Easter Jeep Safari builds, this has to be the rowdiest.—
Caleb Jacobs,
The Drive,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Caught up in the national fervor that summer, a rowdy group of lawless protesters made their way to Baltimore’s Columbus Piazza.—
Torrey Snow,
Baltimore Sun,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Those self-aware lyrics are paired with breezy melody and a gently rollicking rhythm, making this feel like a freewheeling summertime favorite.—
Jessica Nicholson,
Billboard,
24 Mar. 2026
-
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
Adjective
-
Although Brixx operates a mix of corporate and franchised locations, its takeover of that space would make the lakefront livelier by putting patrons on the patio at night.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Fredericksburg still wears its German heritage on its sleeve, evident throughout Main Street architecture and a lively cluster of biergartens and long-running seasonal festivals.—
Alexis Simmerman,
Austin American Statesman,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
In choosing to abstain from noisy pedal effects and clanging cymbals, Landowner whip up far more entrancing patterns that thrive in the tidiness.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
24 Mar. 2026
-
The system also remained stable when trained on limited or noisy datasets.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Jessica Gorman delivered emotional remarks Saturday at a vigil in Yorktown Heights, New York, honoring her daughter — a Loyola University Chicago freshman whose life was cut short in what authorities describe as a sudden, violent attack.—
Sophia Compton,
FOXNews.com,
29 Mar. 2026
-
That’s a reference to what Duncan always intended, and rightly so, as a holistic approach to the problem of violent crime, involving not just violence interrupting by former gang members turned peacekeepers but better education and job opportunities for the young people most at risk.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rumbustious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rumbustious. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
