RUMBUSTIOUS Synonyms: 104 Similar and Opposite Words

rumbustious

adjective

ˌrəm-ˈbəs-chəs

Definition of rumbustious

chiefly British

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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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 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

Unlike regular golf tournaments, the first tee is boisterous with a flag-waving crowd and music.

— ABC News, ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026
The result is a boisterous, exhausting drama that struggles to balance trauma, satire and the painful legacy of Black sitcom fame.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of boisterous

Adjective

Following the film screening, which earned a raucous applause from attendees (and a standing ovation for its lead actor), Scott encouraged the audience to dance their way out to a song by the late Ethel Merman.

— Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026
The raucous sell-out crowds transform Chase Center into Ballhalla, which is littered with a sea of violet and creates a strong homecourt advantage for the club.

— Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of raucous

Adjective

Sunny, a rambunctious Portuguese water dog that President Barack Obama got at the start of his second term in the White House, died Tuesday at the age of 13, Obama announced.

— Amy B Wang, Washington Post, 16 Sep. 2026
When her beloved dog Krypto is poisoned, Kara teams with a vengeful teen (Eve Ridley) and a rambunctious bounty hunter (Jason Momoa) to hunt down the vicious outlaw responsible.

— Brian Truitt, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of rambunctious

Adjective

Not to mention her infamously rowdy rooftop interview at the 1995 VMAs, throwing shade with Courtney Love and Kurt Loder.

— Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2026
Authorities are urging people to avoid an herbal extract found during their investigations into the deaths of two students – one on and one off campus – at the University of Mississippi following a rowdy weekend centered on a major football rivalry.

— Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of rowdy

Adjective

Murphy then appeared on stage to a rollicking standing ovation and made his way to his place at the dais toward the back of the room.

— Pete Hammond, Deadline, 19 Apr. 2026
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

Definition of rollicking

Adjective

Mercury in your sign squares Mars in your 10th House, putting your voice, identity, and public responsibilities into a lively tug-of-war.

— Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 2 Oct. 2026
Each Lucas Duplan set will feature songs crafted to satisfy Miami’s appetite for electronic music and a lively nightlife.

— William Jones, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of lively

Adjective

Lucy refurbishes their noisy slab arrangements into massive walls of buzzing texture, like a cross between a fashionable rave and a final boss battle.

— H.D. Angel, Pitchfork, 8 Oct. 2026
In a place where others might have heard a gunshot, or the noisy retreat of a car on three good tires.

— Thomas Lake, AJC.com, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of noisy

Adjective

The style is almost knockabout, with a color palette reminiscent of Coralie Fargeat, but quickly evolves into its own thing with the arrival of Taquin as Margot, a medical student at a nearby hospital.

— Damon Wise, Deadline, 15 May 2026
Though thematically vague, thinly plotted and without a reliably sympathetic soul to cling to, the movie has a mutinous energy and an absurd, knockabout charm; even its violence is more quirky than brutal.

— JEANNETTE CATSOULIS, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2017

Definition of knockabout

Browse Nearby Words

rumblings

rumbustious

rumbustiousness

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“Rumbustious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rumbustious. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of rumbustious

adjective

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