as in rebellion
refusal to obey
frustrated by the boys' unruliness, the lifeguard asked them to leave the pool
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Recent Examples of unruliness
In Olga Tokarczuk’s work, knowing how to pick mushrooms—organisms open to unruliness and interconnection and resistant to easy labeling—is a sign of good character.
—
Christopher Tayler, The New York Review of Books, 2 Oct. 2025
Any unruliness was saved for the sketches.
—Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
Bateman commits to his character’s wiry unruliness and makes Vince into a self-destructive twit, which is probably by intent.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2025
Christopher Tayler, The New York Review of Books, 2 Oct. 2025
Any unruliness was saved for the sketches.
—Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
Bateman commits to his character’s wiry unruliness and makes Vince into a self-destructive twit, which is probably by intent.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unruliness
Noun
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The state argued incidents that arose from the ICE facility protests in recent months have been handled by local law enforcement and have not been severe enough to be considered a riot or rebellion.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Her choice challenges the rules of her world and sparks a rebellion that paves the way for a new way of life.—
Anna Marie de la Fuente,
Variety,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Flattering, placating, and kowtowing only seem to spark escalating demands while defiance risks retaliation.—
Jeff Kingston,
Time,
4 Oct. 2025
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Saturday’s look aligned her with a brand known for its romantic defiance.—
Maggie Clancy,
Footwear News,
4 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The performance goes from fiery to ineffectual as DiCaprio’s character, Bob, loses his youthful rebelliousness in a haze of pot and resignation.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
26 Sep. 2025
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The rebelliousness can be witnessed in everything from its ’70s-in-California style to the very naming conventions Mother chooses for its viral products — adored by A-listers like Gigi Hadid, Chrissy Teigen, Millie Bobby Brown, and more.—
Kristina Rutkowski,
Footwear News,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
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While this change reduces the explicit admission of willfulness, a narrative is still required.—
Virginia La Torre Jeker,
Forbes.com,
4 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The Grammys treated the Stones with a similar level of stunning disrespect until awarding them Best Rock Album last year for Hackney Diamonds.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
1 Oct. 2025
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No disrespect to the academy, but it sort of pales in comparison to this.—
Stephanie Petit,
PEOPLE,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unruliness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unruliness. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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