definitions

rambunctious

[ ram-buhngk-shuh s ]
/ ræmˈbʌŋk ʃəs /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR rambunctious ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

difficult to control or handle; wildly boisterous: a rambunctious child.
turbulently active and noisy: a social gathering that became rambunctious and out of hand.

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RELATED WORDS

raucous, noisy, rowdy, unruly, boisterous, rough, rude, turbulent, termagant

Nearby words

rambler, rambling, rambo, ramboesque, rambouillet, rambunctious, rambutan, ramc, rameau, ramekin, ramen

Origin of rambunctious

An Americanism dating back to 1820–30; origin uncertain

Related forms

ram·bunc·tious·ly, adverbram·bunc·tious·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for rambunctious

British Dictionary definitions for rambunctious

rambunctious

/ (ræmˈbʌŋkʃəs) /

adjective

informal boisterous; unruly

Derived Forms

rambunctiously, adverbrambunctiousness, noun

Word Origin for rambunctious

C19: probably from Icelandic ram- (intensifying prefix) + -bunctious, from bumptious
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