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

But mainly it is known for the riotous setting off of fireworks, increasingly in defiance of local bans. —Mithil Aggarwal, NBC News, 1 Nov. 2024

The Borough will be reviewing and revising plans for public events given this new riotous trend. —Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 25 Oct. 2024

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

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