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Synonyms

rowdy

American  
[rou-dee] / ˈraʊ di /

noun

plural

rowdies

  1. a rough, disorderly person.

adjective

rowdier, rowdiest

  1. rough and disorderly.

    rowdy behavior at school.

  2. Slang. great; very enjoyable, often with boisterous fun.

    a rowdy time at the arcade with my best friends.
    Synonyms:
    obstreperous, unruly, boisterous
rowdy British  
/ ˈraʊdɪ /

adjective

  1. tending to create noisy disturbances; rough, loud, or disorderly

    a rowdy gang of football supporters
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a person who behaves in a rough disorderly fashion

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • rowdily adverb
  • rowdiness noun
  • unrowdy adjective

Etymology

Origin of rowdy

An Americanism dating back to 1810–20; perhaps from row 3

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.

Unlike a church service, shows are rowdy and a bit untethered.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2026

Is there a more unlikely smash than this two-week baseball tournament which features 20 national teams and wraps with a rowdy title game March 17 in Miami?

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026

Semenyo's winner silenced a raucous and rowdy crowd with a real poacher's finish, reacting quickest to latch on to Rayan Ait-Nouri's cross and converting with aplomb.

From BBC • Feb. 28, 2026

We’ve had rowdy truck drivers come kind of close to us, and the DOT guys will be like, “Watch out. What’s going on with you? Slow down.”

From Slate • Feb. 24, 2026

I was as rowdy as any of my brothers, but when I was with Tyler I transformed.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.