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Synonyms

rowdy

American  
[rou-dee] / ˈraʊ di /

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 British  
/ ˈraʊdɪ /

adjective

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

    a rowdy gang of football supporters
"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

noun

  1. a person who behaves in a rough disorderly fashion

"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

Other Word Forms

  • rowdily adverb
  • rowdiness noun
  • unrowdy adjective

Etymology

Origin of rowdy

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

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.

When the latest committee still pronounced the sounds an utter mystery, the rowdy audience erupted.

From Literature

A spectacular U.S. women’s hockey juggernaut gets the rowdy, rival conclusion everyone wanted and expected.

From The Wall Street Journal

There’s hockey puck, lots of it: The rowdy U.S. women is barreling into the semifinals, and the NHL stars have finally returned to build a feisty U.S. men’s team.

From The Wall Street Journal

The lilting score behind Ted’s speech softly casts a gentle aura around him in contrast to his rowdy surroundings.

From Salon

We couldn’t wait to see it again with a rowdier crowd.

From Los Angeles Times

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.