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
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The other Jaylin Williams will be in a boisterous section with Lu Dort and the other younger Thunder players but also often parrying back and forth with his namesake and Gilgeous-Alexander.—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
16 June 2025
-
Fortunately, the board rejected the proposal at a boisterous public meeting this month.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
15 June 2025
Adjective
-
Morocco’s Wydad gave their raucous fans a first goal of the tournament to celebrate when Thembinkosi Lorch pulled one back, which led to a flare being thrown onto the pitch and smoke engulfing much of the playing area.—
Steve Madeley,
New York Times,
22 June 2025
-
On June 2, before a raucous audience of roughly 100 friends, family, and alums, the students graduated as actual drag performers.—
David Mack,
Rolling Stone,
22 June 2025
Adjective
-
The Oilers could sign Patrick Kane as a free agent, but may eschew that kind of move in favour of a more rambunctious winger.—
Allan Mitchell,
New York Times,
20 June 2025
-
As is the case on many river cruises, the vibes are quiet early in the trip and grow increasingly rambunctious as the week progresses.—
Sherri Eisenberg,
Travel + Leisure,
18 June 2025
Adjective
-
Fittingly, a green laser shined out into the crowd as attendees turned from polite listeners to a rowdy mosh pit, singing every word.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
27 June 2025
-
Johnson is not the only country star who has stopped mid-concert to address a rowdy crowd.—
Christina Dugan Ramirez,
FOXNews.com,
25 June 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
-
For much of the day New Haven Green was filled with a Juneteenth Village and Marketplace, including loud and lively hip-hop acts.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
25 June 2025
-
The small but lively crowd of 14,312 at the Rose Bowl gasped in disbelief as Deossa and his teammates celebrated what instantly became a contender for the goal of the tournament — only to be possibly upstaged by his fellow midfielder Corona nine minutes later.—
Austin Green,
New York Times,
25 June 2025
Adjective
-
If co-workers are noisy, ask for sound-cancelling headphones or a seating change.—
Amy Lindgren,
Twin Cities,
28 June 2025
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In a lively first-half played in front of a noisy crowd of 54,619, Chelsea were denied a penalty when Enzo Fernandez went down in the box after turning past Gerson, while at the other end Levi Colwill headed the ball off the line from a free kick.—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
20 June 2025
Adjective
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Swart said another giveaway is the hotel accommodations that are arranged for violent rioters.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
21 June 2025
-
Newsom and Trump have sparred over the California protests after the president federalized National Guard troops, arguing local officials were not doing enough to quell demonstrations that at times grew violent, though most protesters were peaceful.—
Andrew Stanton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rumbustious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rumbustious. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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