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definitions

rowdy

[ rou-dee ]
/ ˈraʊ di /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR rowdy ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural row·dies.

a rough, disorderly person.

adjective, row·di·er, row·di·est.

rough and disorderly: rowdy behavior at school.

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RELATED WORDS

strongly, seriously, vigorously, heavily, severely, angrily, briskly, brutally, cruelly, earnestly, energetically, fiercely, forcibly, frantically, furiously, intensely, madly, meanly, painfully, powerfully

Nearby words

  1. row over,
  2. row vector,
  3. row-house,
  4. rowan,
  5. rowboat,
  6. rowdyish,
  7. rowdyism,
  8. rowe,
  9. rowe, nicholas,
  10. rowel

Origin of rowdy

1810–20, Americanism; perhaps irregular from row3
Related formsrow·di·ly, adverbrow·di·ness, nounun·row·dy, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for rowdily

British Dictionary definitions for rowdily

rowdy

/ (ˈraʊdɪ) /

adjective -dier or -diest

tending to create noisy disturbances; rough, loud, or disorderlya rowdy gang of football supporters

noun plural -dies

a person who behaves in a rough disorderly fashion
Derived Formsrowdily, adverbrowdiness, noun

Word Origin for rowdy

C19: originally US slang, perhaps related to row ³
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
Word Origin and History for rowdily

rowdy

n.

"a rough, quarrelsome person," 1808, American English, originally "lawless backwoodsman," probably from row (n.2). The adjective is first recorded 1819. Related: Rowdily; rowdiness.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper