Definitions

unruly

[uhn-roo-lee] / ʌnˈru li /

ADJECTIVE

disobedient

Synonyms

STRONGEST

disorderly drunken fractious impulsive lawless ornery quarrelsome rebellious recalcitrant reckless restive riotous rowdy turbulent uncontrollable unmanageable violent wayward

WEAK

assertive bawdy forward headstrong heedless impervious impetuous imprudent incorrigible inexorable insubordinate intemperate intractable mean mutinous obstreperous opinionated out of control out of line perverse rash refractory ungovernable unyielding wild willful

Antonyms

STRONGEST

agreeable calm cautious controllable happy manageable mild moderate obedient passive patient

WEAK

compliant yielding

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.

Yet the number of incidents involving unruly passengers has not gone unnoticed.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026

It was Bell Labs’ responsibility, in other words, to create technologies for designing, expanding and improving an unruly communications network of cables and microwave links and glass fibers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026

The other stays raw — bright, fresh, slightly unruly.

From Salon • Mar. 17, 2026

A supreme court ruling reportedly issued Tuesday afternoon appears to have blocked the post-mortems, but not before unruly protest scenes broke out on Tuesday in Jerusalem and other Israeli cities, according to police.

From Barron's • Jan. 20, 2026

He studied us now out of faded blue eyes in a way that let us know we weren’t the first unruly cadets he’d ever dealt with, and we most certainly wouldn’t be his last.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

Vocabulary lists containing unruly

List 6

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"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act II

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Tears of a Tiger

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