rambunctious

rambunctious
adjective
ram·;bunc·;tious ram-;b;;k-sh;s
Synonyms of rambunctious
: marked by uncontrollable exuberance : unruly
rambunctiously adverb
rambunctiousness noun


Did you know?
Rambunctious first appeared in print in the early half of the 19th century, at a time when the fast-growing United States was forging its identity and indulging in a fashion for colorful new coinages suggestive of the young nation's optimism and exuberance. Rip-roaring, scalawag, scrumptious, hornswoggle, and skedaddle are other examples of the lively language of that era. Did Americans alter the largely British rumbustious because it sounded, well, British? That could be. Rumbustious, which first appeared in Britain in the late 1700s just after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, was probably based on robustious, a much older adjective that meant both "robust" and "boisterous."

Synonyms
boisterous
hell-raising
knockabout
raucous
robustious
roisterous
rollicking
rowdy
rumbustious [chiefly British]
Examples of rambunctious in a Sentence
that beach is often taken over by packs of rambunctious young people, so don't go there expecting peace and quiet
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Set 60-90 minutes aside—without those rambunctious kids around and with your favorite deliberative beverage—and tell your personal money stories to one another.
—Tim Maurer, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025
The reality star, 19, became an early rising star for her quippy one-liners and rambunctious persona on TLC's Toddlers & Tiaras.
—Esther Kang, People.com, 24 May 2025
Learn how to live amongst rugged Vikings and rambunctious dragons.
—Samantha Neely, USA Today, 23 May 2025
Her wish comes true in the form of a gleefully chaotic fuzzy blue creature who is the combination of a rambunctious toddler, puppy and koala, with a toothy grin, deadly claws and an irresistible butt wiggle.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 22 May 2025

Word History
Etymology
probably alteration of rumbustious

First Known Use
1830, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of rambunctious was in 1830
See more words from the same year