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
Around this time, the outfit’s quirky, lightly rumbustious songs began to resonate across British press and radio; accessible while containing a marked dose of strangeness, Fontaine’s songwriting – at once emotionally raw and witty – boasted a strong multi-generational appeal.
—
Sophie Williams, Billboard, 8 May 2025
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
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
Sophie Williams, Billboard, 8 May 2025
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rumbustious
Adjective
-
Their 13th album, International, interprets the ritual of early retirement sendoff as a boisterous dance party with plenty of music royalty cameos showing up to pay their respects.—
Ernesto Lechner,
Rolling Stone,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Among the latter, McElwee pays a visit to his longtime friend Charleen Swansea, who stole the show in Sherman’s March with her boisterous real-talk and raunchy humor.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Almost every minute of their next few hours is broadcast to millions worldwide and soundtracked by the raucous crowd inside a cauldron-like Arthur Ashe Stadium.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
6 Sep. 2025
-
The Golden State fans in black and violet get even louder, live on the edge of raucous and dance like no one’s watching, whether the music is by Mac Dre or Rihanna.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
For the child with an active imagination, give them a bed frame that matches their rambunctious energy.—
Kate McGregor,
Architectural Digest,
10 Sep. 2025
-
The children grow, with the eldest Susanna (Bodhi Rae Breathnach) helping to look after her rambunctious siblings.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
In Aurora, some of the attendees became drunk and rowdy.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Flipper’s Boogie Palace at LaCienega and Santa Monica was also the A lister’s night spot of its time, the roller disco home of the trendy (including a young Laura Dern), many in glitter hot pants ready for the rowdy rink.—
Merle Ginsberg,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Sep. 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
-
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
-
On a sunny Tuesday morning, 35-year-old Rita Guerrero stepped out from her door on North Mariposa Street, lively pup Olive barely contained by her leash.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Zarutska worked in a lively area of the lower South End dotted with breweries, apartment complexes and coffee shops.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Just a 10-minute stroll from the city center, the elevation affords something akin to a retreat; Bolaño feels spirited away from the noisy streets, surrounded instead by humming cicadas and chirping birds.—
Keith Flanagan,
Architectural Digest,
11 Sep. 2025
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In the vast and noisy Southern Ocean, such predictability may be the key to helping rivals or potential mates recognize an individual voice across miles of ice and water.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The left is always, at all times and places, a violent phenomenon full of hatred.—
Ross O'Keefe,
The Washington Examiner,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Dinah Voyles Pulver, a national correspondent for USA TODAY, has written about hurricanes, tornadoes and violent weather for more than 30 years.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rumbustious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rumbustious. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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