riotous

adjective

ri·​ot·​ous ˈrī-ə-təs 

1

a

: of the nature of a riot : turbulent

b

: participating in riot

2

: abundant, exuberant

the garden was riotous with flowers

riotously adverb

riotousness noun

Synonyms

• antic
• chucklesome
• comedic
• comic
• comical
• droll
• farcical
• funny
• hilarious
• humoristic
• humorous
• hysterical
• hysteric
• killing
• laughable
• ludicrous
• ridiculous
• risible
• screaming
• sidesplitting
• uproarious

Examples of riotous in a Sentence

a riotous profusion of flowers

his riotous mugging always has everyone in hysterics

Recent Examples on the Web

The riotous colors of fall don't come all at once: Trees' leaves change unevenly, depending on their species. —Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 20 Sep. 2024

The gallery is part of the fun, too, decked out in a riotous, tessellating wallpaper of musical homages and studded with golden geometric structures. —Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 22 Oct. 2024

His yarn begins a few days before the holiday, when the local children stage Three Wise Women, a riotous and progressive rendition of a play about the Three Kings. —Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Oct. 2024

The search ends with a lynching on a country road, a procession to the heart of the Black business district and a riotous bonfire quelled when the governor calls the militia. —arkansasonline.com, 5 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

riotous

adjective

ri·​ot·​ous ˈrī-ət-əs 

1

a

: of the nature of a riot

b

: taking part in rioting

2

: abundant

a garden riotous with flowers

riotously adverb

Legal Definition

riotous

adjective

ri·​ot·​ous ˈrī-ə-təs 

1

: of the nature of a riot

riotous conduct

2

: participating in a riot

a riotous assemblage