unruly

[uhn-roo-lee] / ʌnˈru li /

ADJECTIVE

disobedient

Synonyms

STRONGEST

disorderly drunken fractious impulsive lawless ornery quarrelsome rebellious recalcitrant reckless restive riotous rowdy turbulent uncontrollable unmanageable violent wayward

WEAK

assertive bawdy forward headstrong heedless impervious impetuous imprudent incorrigible inexorable insubordinate intemperate intractable mean mutinous obstreperous opinionated out of control out of line perverse rash refractory ungovernable unyielding wild willful

Antonyms

STRONGEST

agreeable calm cautious controllable happy manageable mild moderate obedient passive patient

WEAK

compliant yielding

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Ryanair last year announced it would fine a passenger 500 euros for unruly behaviour resulting in their removal from an aircraft.

From Barron's • May 6, 2026

The dill should read bright and grassy, a little unruly.

From Salon • Apr. 14, 2026

Last March, an American Airlines flight made an emergency landing in Detroit due to an unruly passenger.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026

It was Bell Labs’ responsibility, in other words, to create technologies for designing, expanding and improving an unruly communications network of cables and microwave links and glass fibers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026

Emily uses it to describe me as a “gang-affiliated, unruly teen who was recently kicked out of a local establishment.”

From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas

Vocabulary lists containing unruly

List 6

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"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act II

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Tears of a Tiger

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