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View synonyms for unruly

unruly

[uhn-roo-lee]

adjective

unrulier, unruliest 
  1. not submissive or conforming to rule; ungovernable; turbulent; intractable; refractory; lawless.

    an unruly class; an unruly wilderness.



unruly

/ ʌnˈruːlɪ /

adjective

  1. disposed to disobedience or indiscipline

“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
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Other Word Forms

  • unruliness noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of unruly1

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English unruely, equivalent to un- un- 1 + ruly, ruely “governable, controllable”; rule, -y 1
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Synonym Study

Unruly, intractable, recalcitrant, refractory describe persons or things that resist management or control. Unruly suggests persistently disorderly behavior or character in persons or things: an unruly child, peevish and willful; wild, unruly hair. Intractable suggests in persons a determined resistance to all attempts to guide or direct them, in things a refusal to respond to attempts to shape, improve, or modify them: an intractable social rebel; a seemingly intractable problem in logistics. recalcitrant and refractory imply not only a lack of submissiveness but also an open, often violent, rebellion against authority or direction. Recalcitrant, the stronger of the two terms, suggests a stubborn and absolute noncompliance: a recalcitrant person, openly contemptuous of all authority. Refractory implies active, mulish disobedience, but leaves open the possibility of eventual compliance: refractory students, resisting efforts to interest them in their studies.
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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 man with unruly hair and sideburns in the centre of them, clad in a black leather jacket, hoisted a roaring chainsaw above his head.

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They were skeptical of it because they considered the people to be unruly by nature and not fit to govern themselves, which is why the Founding Fathers tied voting rights to property ownership in 1776.

Although police can still use less-lethal weapons to contain unruly demonstrators, the city claimed the rules put officers at risk of hesitating in chaotic situations.

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It was a different tone from the one Rea took Sunday when the BBC asked him about the unruly behavior of fans.

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This efficiency made professional sense, though it had the potential to put a lid on what is usually the most interesting, unruly, moving, unpredictable part of the show.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

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unruffledunruly certificate