as in boisterous
being rough or noisy in a high-spirited way
a rowdy but good-natured group of teenagers
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in thug
a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang
rowdies had overtaken the neighborhood and were threatening people on the street
Synonyms & Similar Words
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of rowdy
Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2024
But there’s another reason St. Martin’s Day was a particularly rowdy time for Venetians.
—John Last, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Dec. 2024
Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2022
This year’s class of 29er trail bikes can handle the same rowdy riding as longer-travel machines, albeit with slightly slower speeds and more careful line choices.
—Josh Patterson, Outside Online, 23 May 2020
See all Example Sentences for rowdy 
Adjective
In addition to his gigs as a musician, Dunlap worked as a cab driver and as a janitor at Minneapolis’ storied First Avenue nightclub, where the Replacements played during the band’s famously rowdy come-up and where Dunlap met his wife, Chrissie, who was a talent booker at the club.
—Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2024
But there’s another reason St. Martin’s Day was a particularly rowdy time for Venetians.
—John Last, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Dec. 2024
Noun
Ronnie Hawkins, the rowdy rockabilly singer who was instrumental in the formation of the pioneering Americana group the Band, died on Sunday.
—Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2022
This year’s class of 29er trail bikes can handle the same rowdy riding as longer-travel machines, albeit with slightly slower speeds and more careful line choices.
—Josh Patterson, Outside Online, 23 May 2020
See all Example Sentences for rowdy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rowdy
Adjective
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Yet, amid a celebration that had been years in the making for many in the boisterous locker room, attention was already turning to what comes next.Nick Kosmider, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025
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The boisterous music of their debut album Fine Art propels the antics, and Peppiatt’s psychedelic cinematography (plus, some use of claymation) brings a kinetic energy to the biopic genre.Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 29 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The proximate cause of the war crimes chronicled in Han’s novels is South Korea’s succession of authoritarian governments, their soldiers and police; on Jeju Island, these were joined by gangs of right-wing thugs.Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 14 Jan. 2025
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Like Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, Assad will be remembered as a thug who left his country on the brink of state failure.Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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This impulse is amplified by the decentralized American system—especially its free media and raucous Congress—which empowers voices, including those of diaspora populations, businesses, human rights organizations, and the national security bureaucracy, to advocate for various actions overseas.Michael Beckley, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025
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Otherwise, the Ravens celebration that followed the win was neither raucous nor lengthy.Jeff Zrebiec, The Athletic, 4 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Other potential responses focus on the perpetrators rather than the puppeteers, prosecuting the petty criminals who carry out acts of sabotage or, in the Baltic Sea, boarding and impounding the offending vessel, as Finland did recently, and following up with a court case.Tamar Jacoby, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
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In her petition, Conley wrote that deploying CHP officers and Solano County sheriff's deputies to Vallejo could help address crime, serve as a deterrent to potential criminals and provide support to an overworked police force.Louis Casiano, Fox News, 6 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Xavier was rambunctious, mischievous and a challenge to corral with schoolwork.Matt Schneidman, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025
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Their instructions to their designers, Ms. Han said, was to devise an interior that was clean, calm and clutter-free but also punctuated by creative details that were hard-wearing enough to stand up to rambunctious play.Tim McKeough, New York Times, 24 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Williams is already Beale Street jerky tough and looks like a plug-and-play 3-and-D wing.Kelly Iko, The Athletic, 11 Apr. 2024
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When a set of tortuous toughs relocate to the neighborhood, his temperament shifts and the scenes increasingly unravel the inner workings of his shaken psyche.Holly Jones, Variety, 23 Sep. 2024
Adjective
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There’s lively interplay with Rick Rosato on bass and Jonathan Pinson on drums.Giovanni Russonello, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025
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Given its flavor and sensory profiles, Barbera is an ideal selection at lunch, especially as its lively acidity cuts through the fatty qualities of all types of salumi.Tom Hyland, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
Noun
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His family told the local press that the man responsible for his death was a gangster from a rival group who had been living in exile in South Africa.Matthew Bremner, Rolling Stone, 5 Jan. 2025
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The group’s chairman is John Chan, a former Chinatown gangster convicted of human trafficking and drug smuggling charges in the mid-2000s who has since become influential in New York politics.Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 4 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near rowdy
Cite this Entry
“Rowdy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rowdy. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
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