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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The firebrand German director now blasts the cobwebs off Chekhov with boisterous, dazzling delight.—
Demetrios Matheou,
The Hollywood Reporter,
7 Mar. 2025
-
With the boisterous fanboy Conan O’Brien at the helm, the show leaned into the kind of excess the production tended to avoid during the snarkier rein of Jimmy Kimmel.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
In any event Marshall, a craven idiot, is a raucous, vulgar sendup of the bedrock American principle of Manifest Destiny.—
Tom Gliatto,
People.com,
7 Mar. 2025
-
Pedro Pascal, Ben Mendelsohn and Jay Ellis co star in this raucous LSD-like trip from two filmmakers who know this turf and that era ever so well – Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden.—
Randy Myers,
The Mercury News,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Bochy and pitcher Nathan Eovaldi said without Hedges last season, the Rangers’ dugout was a different, less rambunctious place.—
Ken Rosenthal,
The Athletic,
25 Feb. 2025
-
There’s no real shape to their journey, no unexpected pitfalls or subplots or surprises; even a rambunctious interlude in a modern-day supermarket feels curiously predetermined.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
26 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Trump’s reelection was a high-water mark for the rowdy rightwing politics and culture that CPAC has long nurtured, and he was treated like a conquering hero during his speech on Saturday.—
Zac Anderson,
USA TODAY,
27 Feb. 2025
-
The cheapest tickets are in the supporter section, where rowdy fans will be cheering, chanting and standing for the whole game.—
Kate Murphy,
Axios,
27 Feb. 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
-
Stripes Everywhere Stripes are having a major design moment, proving that the lively pattern is timeless, versatile, and effortlessly chic.—
Sophie Flaxman,
Better Homes & Gardens,
9 Mar. 2025
-
The High Kings and Mary Black Palmer Auditorium, 270 Mohegan Ave Pkwy., New London A full evening of Irish music with vocalist Mary Black, lively traditional Irish band The High Kings plus Róisín O is being presented by The Kate but held at Connecticut College’s Palmer Auditorium.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
8 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
To fix a noisy box spring, add sturdy material, such as thick cardboard or a thin piece of plywood in between the box spring and mattress.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
27 Feb. 2025
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Despite being a man down, Ruben Amorim’s side were relatively comfortable in the second half as a noisy Old Trafford crowd enjoyed a win that increased the gap between the two teams to 16 points.—
Laurie Whitwell,
The Athletic,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
That career has been highlighted by some of the most violent fights in MMA history.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes,
5 Mar. 2025
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While confronting their violent history, a brutal bar fight and deadly feud reignites between Thomas, Ben, and the notorious Five Points Gang.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
5 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rumbustious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rumbustious. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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