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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In some cases, locations are banning unaccompanied minors and large groups of teen boys in an attempt to curb any boisterous stunts.—
Nick Romano,
EW.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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While the personalities of Marchand and Tarasenko are different — Marchand more boisterous, Tarasenko more stoic — the impact each provides is similar.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The beginnings of the dissolution of dialogue Until 1990, American politics and government was always a raucous and contentious how-do-you-do, but ultimately a cooperative venture to one degree or another.—
Eli Amdur,
Forbes.com,
13 Apr. 2025
-
What compelled you to pivot to horror in 1930s Mississippi, infused with the segregation of the time, and a raucous celebration of the blues?—
Mike Fleming Jr,
Deadline,
8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
White’s rambunctious guitars crackled with radio-transmitter static and whistled in high-frequency pitches.—
Bob Gendron,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Apr. 2025
-
The rambunctious East Hollywood rap group were key members of L.A.’s rap scene in the late 2010s.—
Cerys Davies,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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While that's good for theaters, it's proven to be, well, less good for their employees, who've been forced to contend with crowds of rowdy, popcorn-chucking teens.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
11 Apr. 2025
-
Two of Basem’s teenage students — the older, rowdy Yacoub (Mahmoud Bakri) and the younger, booksmart Adam (Muhammad Abed El Rahman) — share his class despite their age difference, owing to Yacoub’s stint in Israeli detention.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
Panelists had been carefully chosen and the moderators ensured lively debates took place.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
10 Apr. 2025
-
To introduce persimmon in a balanced way, Bassford recommends incorporating the color into decorative touches like wallpaper, upholstery, or bedding for a lively yet harmonious effect.—
Kristina McGuirk,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Our emissions are simply too loud, too noisy, and too difficult to remove.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
16 Apr. 2025
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The resulting truck was so noisy it couldn’t be sold in several states, including California, Florida, and Maryland.—
Bryan Hood,
Robb Report,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Bravo’s family said the 28-year-old was ending a violent relationship.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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Adams said the pair had discussed how to combat violent migrant gangs and embedding more New York Police Department officers into federal task forces.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
9 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rumbustious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rumbustious. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.
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