riotous
Americanadjective
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proceeding from or of the nature of riots or rioting
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inciting to riot
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characterized by wanton or lascivious revelry
riotous living
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characterized by boisterous or unrestrained merriment
riotous laughter
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of riotous
Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at riot, -ous
Explanation
Anything riotous is disorderly, chaotic, and loud. Riotous things can also be abundant. Since a riot is a disturbance where people get out of control and become violent, riotous things are also loud, disruptive, and out of hand. If everyone in class speaks at once to answer a question, that's a riotous response. Chaos is always riotous. The opposite of riotous would be calm, civilized, and peaceful. Also, you can say that lush, abundant things are riotous. If an apple tree is producing an unusually large amount of apples, it's riotous.
Vocabulary lists containing riotous
"The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
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"The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
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President Biden's Inaugural Speech (January 2021)
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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.
The Tour has fixed something in Paris: taking what used to be a mostly-dull pedal around the cobbles of the Champs-Élysées and adding a riotous, repeat ascent which separates the best riders from the crowd.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
The teenage boy was arrested on suspicion of riotous behaviour and has since been released on bail.
From BBC ● May 6, 2026
“Egg nog is kind of like me — it’s not for everyone, but the people who like it are my kind of people,” he said to riotous applause.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 21, 2025
But in “A Child’s Christmas in Wales,” his riotous narrative inspired by his boyhood yuletides in the 1920s, Dylan Thomas serves up a dissenting version of the holiday as a merry mess.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 19, 2025
Lauren, a cheerleader, accepted her prize, beaming, to riotous applause and whistling.
From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner
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.
