rowdy

1 of 2

adjective

row·​dy ˈrau̇-dē 

rowdier; rowdiest

: coarse or boisterous in behavior : rough

also : characterized by such behavior

rowdy local bars

rowdily

ˈrau̇-də-lē 

adverb

rowdiness

ˈrau̇-dē-nəs 

noun

rowdyish

ˈrau̇-dē-ish 

adjective

rowdy

2 of 2

noun

plural rowdies

: a rowdy person : tough

Synonyms

Adjective

• boisterous
• hell-raising
• knockabout
• rambunctious
• raucous
• robustious
• roisterous
• rollicking
• rumbustious [chiefly British]

Noun

• bully
• gangbanger
• gangsta
• gangster
• goon
• gorilla
• hood
• hoodlum
• hooligan
• mobster
• mug
• plug-ugly
• punk
• roughneck
• ruffian
• thug
• tough
• toughie
• toughy
• yob [British]
• yobbo [British]

Examples of rowdy in a Sentence

Adjective

a rowdy game of basketball

a rowdy but good-natured group of teenagers

Noun

rowdies had overtaken the neighborhood and were threatening people on the street

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

This isn’t the first rowdy revelation Bush Hager has shared on the morning show recently. —Rachel McRady, People.com, 9 Dec. 2024

Tellingly, in the upper right-hand corner, Ruscha added a cheap Western cowboy magazine, its rowdy narrative of American manifest destiny having been torn in two. —Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2024

Noun

The Horned Frogs have more talent and experience than the Buffaloes but will have to battle the heightened elevation and the rowdy, Colorado home-field advantage. —Dallas News, 31 Aug. 2022

Anna Kendrick, Michelle Yeoh, and Denzel Washington all got the same rowdy yet amiable energy. —Vulture Editors, Vulture, 20 July 2022

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

perhaps irregular from row entry 5

First Known Use

Adjective

1832, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1865, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

rowdy

1 of 2 adjective

row·​dy ˈrau̇d-ē 

rowdier; rowdiest

: rough or loud in behavior

rowdiness noun

rowdy

2 of 2 noun

plural rowdies

: a rowdy person