rowdy

[rou-dee]

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

/ ˈraʊdɪ /

adjective

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

   a rowdy gang of football supporters

noun

1. a person who behaves in a rough disorderly fashion

Other Word Forms

• rowdily adverb
• rowdiness noun
• unrowdy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of rowdy¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of rowdy¹

C19: originally US slang, perhaps related to _row ³

Example Sentences

In Garoua, the demonstrations began peacefully but quickly turned rowdy when security forces threw teargas on the streets to disperse the hundreds of people that had gathered in support of Tchiroma Bakary.

Read more on BBC

As rowdy behavior at the Chateau goes, it wasn’t quite Billy Idol stripping nude and trashing his room for want of more tequila.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Six of the political parties standing in the Caerphilly by-election to win a seat at the Senedd went head-to-head in a passionate and rowdy BBC Wales television debate on Wednesday evening.

Read more on BBC

Images widely shared on social media highlight the rowdy lines at petrol stations in Bamako, with people waiting for hours.

Read more on BBC

When a crowd is rowdy at odd, unexpected times, though, it creates a different type of challenge.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• disorderly 
• loud 
• rambunctious 
• raucous 
• rebellious 
• rude 
• turbulent 
• unruly 
• uproarious