rambunctious
adjective
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Rambunctious first appeared in print in the early half of the 19th century, at a time when the fast-growing United States was forging its identity and indulging in a fashion for colorful new coinages suggestive of the young nation's optimism and exuberance. Rip-roaring, scalawag, scrumptious, hornswoggle, and skedaddle are other examples of the lively language of that era. Did Americans alter the largely British rumbustious because it sounded, well, British? That could be. Rumbustious, which first appeared in Britain in the late 1700s just after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, was probably based on robustious, a much older adjective that meant both "robust" and "boisterous."
Examples of rambunctious in a Sentence
Tim Maurer, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025
The reality star, 19, became an early rising star for her quippy one-liners and rambunctious persona on TLC's Toddlers & Tiaras.
—Esther Kang, People.com, 24 May 2025
Learn how to live amongst rugged Vikings and rambunctious dragons.
—Samantha Neely, USA Today, 23 May 2025
Her wish comes true in the form of a gleefully chaotic fuzzy blue creature who is the combination of a rambunctious toddler, puppy and koala, with a toothy grin, deadly claws and an irresistible butt wiggle.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for rambunctious
Cite this Entry
“Rambunctious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rambunctious. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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rambunctious
adjective
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