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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Recent Examples of rumbustious
The movie is both exquisite and rumbustious, stylized and energized.
—
Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 5 May 2022
From 1657, when tea first became available in London’s coffeehouses, to the early seventeen-hundreds, when women were invited in, recreational tea drinking was the preserve of rumbustious gentlemen.
—David Kortava, The New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2021
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
In August Tito Mboweni, his rumbustious finance minister, published a paper proposing sweeping yet doable reforms.
—The Economist, 19 Oct. 2019
Another popular view holds that Mr Trump’s rude and rumbustious character is really a merit in a time of great geopolitical and spiritual danger.
—The Economist, 5 July 2019
Ausilia, destined for spinsterhood, switches her spying from the lovers to the rumbustious, intimidating Jewish family who gather around the couple.
—Tim Parks, Harper's magazine, 10 Feb. 2019
The rumbustious suffragettes are relegated to small etchings on the new statue’s plinth, a marginalisation that hints at lingering unease with their methods.
—The Economist, 19 Apr. 2018
Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 5 May 2022
From 1657, when tea first became available in London’s coffeehouses, to the early seventeen-hundreds, when women were invited in, recreational tea drinking was the preserve of rumbustious gentlemen.
—David Kortava, The New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2021
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
In August Tito Mboweni, his rumbustious finance minister, published a paper proposing sweeping yet doable reforms.
—The Economist, 19 Oct. 2019
Another popular view holds that Mr Trump’s rude and rumbustious character is really a merit in a time of great geopolitical and spiritual danger.
—The Economist, 5 July 2019
Ausilia, destined for spinsterhood, switches her spying from the lovers to the rumbustious, intimidating Jewish family who gather around the couple.
—Tim Parks, Harper's magazine, 10 Feb. 2019
The rumbustious suffragettes are relegated to small etchings on the new statue’s plinth, a marginalisation that hints at lingering unease with their methods.
—The Economist, 19 Apr. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rumbustious
Adjective
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But the clothes themselves show plenty of personality under the false advertising; accordingly, Popov delivers a boisterous tale of a woman coming into her own, told with real humor and heart.—
Stephen Saito,
Variety,
19 Mar. 2025
-
As the boisterous FreeCon meeting wound down, as people began to check phones for airline departures, there would have been a few holdouts of the absolutist sort — a few people who would refuse to sign a document acknowledging the Creator’s role in any benefaction whatsoever.—
Neal B. Freeman,
National Review,
13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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This feels fitting for a company that aims to make people roll around with raucous laughter.—
Ollie Barder,
Forbes,
22 Mar. 2025
-
The few Republican officials who have held town halls lately have faced raucous crowds.—
Laura J. Nelson,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The chute opens, and rambunctious No. 2 bursts out with an impatient huff.—
Phillip Valys,
Sun Sentinel,
15 Mar. 2025
-
Linus O’Brien gives that chapter of the story a respectful 20 minutes, with lots of rambunctious footage and a sweet acknowledgment of Sal Piro, one of the earliest and most influential superfans, who died in 2023.—
Daniel Fienberg,
The Hollywood Reporter,
11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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That doesn't mean audience members haven't gotten notably rowdy over the years, however.—
Raven Brunner,
People.com,
21 Mar. 2025
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Suddenly, all the noise was being made by the maroon-and-black side of the arena and the rowdy North Carolinians had lost their voice.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN,
12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Joy’s jazzy, smoky version of the Marvin Gaye classic, coupled with her velvety vocals, sparked another rollicking ovation led by John who was the first to stand up.—
Gail Mitchell,
Billboard,
4 Feb. 2023
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His setlist, a rollicking walk-down-memory-lane of solo hits, NKOTB favorites, standards, show tunes and cover songs, showcased his range as an entertainer, musical virtuoso and keen collaborator.—
Sonal Dutt,
Peoplemag,
23 Jan. 2023
Adjective
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The popularity of this area is booming, with creatives and entrepreneurs enjoying the proximity to both nature and a lively community.—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
20 Mar. 2025
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Located in the lively South Lamar enclave, Zilker Studios also showcases its designer’s flair for space efficiency.—
Jeffrey Steele,
Forbes,
20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Budgerigars are both impressive vocal mimics and also have complex vocalizations called warbles that are a mix of noisy and harmonic calls.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
19 Mar. 2025
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Trapped in bed, in a noisy room or hallway, under the fluorescent lighting of the hospital all day and night, these children experience more stress, dissatisfaction, fear and distrust of the system.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
Newsweek,
13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The Indiana Crime Guns Task Force was signed into law in 2021 and addresses violent crime in Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Marion, Morgan, Johnson and Shelby counties, according to the Indiana General Assembly’s website.—
Maya Wilkins,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Mar. 2025
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The storm, which produced violent tornadoes, raging wildfires, and blinding dust storms, decimated homes, toppled vehicles, and left entire communities reeling from the devastation.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
16 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rumbustious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rumbustious. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.
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