unruly
Americanadjective
adjective
Synonym Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unruly
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English unruely, equivalent to un- un- 1 + ruly, ruely “governable, controllable”; see rule, -y 1
Explanation
Unruly means lacking in restraint or not submitting to authority. Spitballs, shouting kids, a shouting teacher — these are all signs of an unruly classroom. Often, one unruly student is all it takes. It's easy to see how un- ("not") and ruly ("rule") create a word that is all about not following rules. When someone is unruly, they've thrown the rules out of the window. An unruly person refuses to obey authority, while an unruly piece of hair might refuse to stay inside a clip. And if a cat herder had trouble corralling kittens for a parade, there would be unruly kittens everywhere!
Vocabulary lists containing unruly
List 6
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act II
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Tears of a Tiger
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
With unruly hair, round glasses, an affable demeanor and a taste for V-neck sweaters, Amodei is worlds away from the corporate executive archetype -- and seems to be motivated by something his peers are not.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
You want a real torn chunk, something closer to an unruly crouton than a breadcrumb.
From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026
Authorities have vowed to tighten scrutiny of the island's tourists and crackdown on unruly foreigners.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
If a beast was unruly enough, a Customs agent wouldn’t want to root around in the box.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
And Mr. Pinkerton had mentioned something about my playing a ghost this time, which sounded much easier than playing with an unruly child.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
If you like hockey but wish it was slower, unrulier and hot doggier, boy do I have a solution for you.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 21, 2024
“It’s become clear over the past two summers that these crowds will only grow larger and unrulier unless something changes.”
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 29, 2023
In a good year, though — and this is one — the event can feel like the unrulier, at times more adventurous younger sibling of the New York Film Festival.
From New York Times ● Apr. 19, 2022
This year, Miley Cyrus will host NBC’s New Year’s coverage with the “Saturday Night Live” star Pete Davidson, bringing a younger, unrulier energy to a gig that has been held by Carson Daly since 2004.
From New York Times ● Dec. 30, 2021
But avoiding the unrulier parts of town has proved impossible, says Kirsten Knight, who has been in charge of housing the thousands of G20 delegates coming to Hamburg this week.
From Time ● Jul. 6, 2017
The good news is Freiman has written one of the funniest and unruliest novels in ages.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2023
But this is that rare movie that transcends its role as pure entertainment to become something genuinely cathartic, even therapeutic, giving children a symbolic language with which to manage their unruliest emotions.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 17, 2015
Now, with the once-predictable monsoon becoming a wild card, one of the unruliest rivers in the world is growing increasingly tempestuous.
From New York Times ● Jan. 23, 2013
The cable channel's high-spirited ten-second promotional spots, based on a logo created by Manhattan Design, are among the edgiest, unruliest and altogether most intriguing graphic images produced today.
From Time Magazine Archive
She sits in her breeches—the unruliest baggage in Gloucestershire," cried Eldershawe, "and complains that fine ladies are not decent.
From His Grace of Osmonde Being the Portions of That Nobleman's Life Omitted in the Relation of His Lady's Story Presented to the World of Fashion under the Title of A Lady of Quality by Frances Hodgson Burnett
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.
