rowdy

[ rou-dee ]

noun

, plural row·dies.

1. a rough, disorderly person.

adjective

, row·di·er, row·di·est.

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

Derived Forms

• ˈrowdiness, noun
• ˈrowdily, adverb

Other Words From

• row·di·ly adverb
• row·di·ness noun
• un·row·dy 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

The material is strong enough to handle a rowdy Schnauzer and soft enough for your young kids to bump into.

From Popular-Science

For anyone with kids — or a rowdy deskmate — this dual stand is a solid organizer.

From Popular-Science

They came upon this rowdy pack of a dozen crazy people naked in a waterfall.

From Washington Post

Plus, the tools themselves are strong and hold up well against a rowdy tailgate party or arduous camping expedition.

From Popular-Science

If neurons in a region get rowdy when a person is eating chocolate, well, those cells might be processing taste or directing chewing.

From Singularity Hub 

The sixth-season premiere of the rowdy, take-no-prisoners sitcom opens with a bang—literally.

From The Daily Beast

The commissioner soon quieted the two rowdy men in the next car.

From The Daily Beast

The “tents” are semi-permanent buildings holding anywhere from 5,000-9,000 rowdy drinkers.

From The Daily Beast

On the afternoon of December 7, 1941, Senator Nye addressed several thousand rowdy people at a Pittsburgh America First rally.

From The Daily Beast

And a few months later, Brown reportedly was kicked out of his Miami condo for hosting a string of rowdy late-night parties.

From The Daily Beast

A rowdy gang of full five hundred armed mutineers marched up and hustled the mob right and left as they forced a way to the gate.

From Project Gutenberg

They were undeniably rowdy and turbulent, however; quarrelling among themselves almost as much as they did with the Kurds!

From Project Gutenberg

He had drugged himself steadfastly to be rowdy and here was a lady who talked about Latin and right angles.

From Project Gutenberg

Another gentleman going to be killed for the sake of these rowdy swine at home!

From Project Gutenberg

He stopped for an instant to absorb the rowdy racket from the taproom.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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