RUMBUSTIOUS Synonyms: 104 Similar and Opposite Words

rumbustious

adjective

ˌrəm-ˈbəs-chəs

Definition of rumbustious

chiefly British

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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of rumbustious The movie is both exquisite and rumbustious, stylized and energized. — Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 5 May 2022 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for rumbustious

Adjective

Brattin was a member of the Missouri Freedom Caucus, an outspoken group of conservatives whose disruptive and boisterous tactics defined Missouri politics for years.

— Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 16 Oct. 2026
Duncombe’s friends remember her sunny spirit, boisterous and infectious laugh, unbridled optimism and passion for new experiences.

— Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of boisterous

Adjective

The crowd at the suddenly raucous Tropicana Field, one of baseball’s quietest venues during most regular season contests, roared in approval.

— Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026
Her main rival for that was the raucous set from George Wallace, who partly brought the house down with a bit about jokes for the high rollers in the front row versus the nosebleed seats.

— Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of raucous

Adjective

Bryan echoing the Truckers is very good news, since their own rambunctious salad days eventually yielded some of this century’s best American anthems.

— Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 20 Oct. 2026
Sunny, a rambunctious Portuguese water dog that President Barack Obama got at the start of his second term in the White House, died Tuesday at the age of 13, Obama announced.

— Amy B Wang, Washington Post, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of rambunctious

Adjective

But a few minutes into the first half, the music stopped, the band put its instruments away and those same rowdy fans walked out on their team.

— Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
As previously reported, the release spawned a massive rowdy crowd outside of the brand’s Fifth Avenue store.

— Stephen Garner, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of rowdy

Adjective

Murphy then appeared on stage to a rollicking standing ovation and made his way to his place at the dais toward the back of the room.

— Pete Hammond, Deadline, 19 Apr. 2026
Those self-aware lyrics are paired with breezy melody and a gently rollicking rhythm, making this feel like a freewheeling summertime favorite.

— Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 24 Mar. 2026

Definition of rollicking

Adjective

Einbinder and the staff writer Rachel Syme sit down for what’s sure to be a lively chat.

— The New Yorker, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026
Microsoft and Nvidia held a launch party for the first wave of RTX Spark laptops last week in San Francisco, where a new wave of AI PCs took center stage amid a packed crowd and a lively hands-on area.

— Tom Warren, The Verge, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of lively

Adjective

The style is almost knockabout, with a color palette reminiscent of Coralie Fargeat, but quickly evolves into its own thing with the arrival of Taquin as Margot, a medical student at a nearby hospital.

— Damon Wise, Deadline, 15 May 2026
Though thematically vague, thinly plotted and without a reliably sympathetic soul to cling to, the movie has a mutinous energy and an absurd, knockabout charm; even its violence is more quirky than brutal.

— JEANNETTE CATSOULIS, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2017

Definition of knockabout

Browse Nearby Words

rumblings

rumbustious

rumbustiousness

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“Rumbustious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rumbustious. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of rumbustious

adjective

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