unruly

[ uhn-roo-lee ]

adjective

, un·ru·li·er, un·ru·li·est.

1. not submissive or conforming to rule; ungovernable; turbulent; intractable; refractory; lawless:

   an unruly class; an unruly wilderness.

   Synonyms: unmanageable, riotous, disorderly, stubborn, uncontrollable, disobedient

unruly

/ ʌnˈruːlɪ /

adjective

1. disposed to disobedience or indiscipline

Derived Forms

• unˈruliness, noun

Other Words From

• un·ruli·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of unruly¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English unruely, equivalent to un- un- ¹ + ruly, ruely “governable, controllable”; rule, -y ¹

Synonym Study

Unruly, intractable, recalcitrant, refractory describe persons or things that resist management or control. Unruly suggests persistently disorderly behavior or character in persons or things: an unruly child, peevish and willful; wild, unruly hair. Intractable suggests in persons a determined resistance to all attempts to guide or direct them, in things a refusal to respond to attempts to shape, improve, or modify them: an intractable social rebel; a seemingly intractable problem in logistics. recalcitrant and refractory imply not only a lack of submissiveness but also an open, often violent, rebellion against authority or direction. Recalcitrant, the stronger of the two terms, suggests a stubborn and absolute noncompliance: a recalcitrant person, openly contemptuous of all authority. Refractory implies active, mulish disobedience, but leaves open the possibility of eventual compliance: refractory students, resisting efforts to interest them in their studies.

Example Sentences

Then he was treated unruly by his former team in the Clippers’ 110-98 victory over the 76ers.

From Los Angeles Times

Anyone who remembers Alexi Lalas from his playing days remembers the unruly shoulder-length red hair, thin headband and bushy goatee.

From Los Angeles Times

Grown men and women — Labubu’s core customers are adults, not kids — have fought over her and police recently had to manage an unruly crowd at a Singapore toy show where Labubus were being sold.

From Los Angeles Times

Airlines have been besieged by unruly passengers this year, the FAA said, citing roughly 1,700 incidents to date.

From Los Angeles Times

In a series of tweets Wednesday, the “Jack Ryan” and “The Wire” actor condemned the unruly behavior and “obnoxious fans” that spoiled his night at Yankee Stadium, where the Los Angeles Dodgers clinched a late-inning victory against the Bronx Bombers.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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