unruly

• POS: Adjective
• HYPHEN: un=ru=ly

CIDE DICTIONARY

unruly, a. [Pref. un- not + rule. Cf. Ruly.].

 Not submissive to rule; disregarding restraint; disposed to violate; turbulent; ungovernable; refractory; as, an unruly boy; unruly boy; unruly conduct.  [1913 Webster]
"But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

unruly, adj. (unrulier, unruliest) not easily controlled or disciplined, disorderly.

Derivative

unruliness n.

Etymology

ME f. UN-(1) + ruly f. RULE

THESAURUS

unruly

abandoned, anarchial, anarchic, anarchistic, antinomian, beyond control, boisterous, breachy, chaotic, contrary, contumacious, defiant, disobedient, disorderly, disorganized, fractious, froward, go-go, hard, headstrong, immoderate, impatient of control, incontinent, incorrigible, indocile, indomitable, indulgent, insubordinate, insuppressible, intemperate, intractable, irrepressible, lawless, lax, licentious, loose, mutinous, naughty, nihilistic, nonrestrictive, obstreperous, ornery, out of control, out of hand, permissive, perverse, raffish, rambunctious, rampageous, rampant, raucous, rebellious, recalcitrant, refractory, reinless, resistant, resisting, restive, revolutionary, riotous, rowdy, rowdyish, ruffianly, rumbustious, shrewish, stormy, stubborn, syndicalistic, tempestuous, termagant, terrorist, tough, tumultuous, turbulent, unbiddable, unbridled, unchecked, uncoerced, uncompelled, unconstrained, uncontrollable, uncontrolled, uncooperative, uncurbed, undisciplined, unforced, ungovernable, ungoverned, uninhibited, unmalleable, unmanageable, unmastered, unmeasured, unmoldable, unmuzzled, unreined, unrepressed, unreserved, unrestrained, unrestrictive, unsubdued, unsubmissive, unsuppressed, untoward, violent, wanton, wayward, wild

ROGET THESAURUS

unruly

Obstinacy

N obstinacy, obstinateness, obstinacy, tenacity, cussedness, perseverance, immovability, old school, inflexibility, obduracy, obduration, dogged resolution, resolution, ruling passion, blind side, self-will, contumacy, perversity, pervicacy, pervicacity, indocility, bigotry, intolerance, dogmatism, opiniatry, opiniativeness, fixed idea, fanaticism, zealotry, infatuation, monomania, opinionatedness opinionativeness, mule, opinionist, opinionatist, opiniator, opinator, stickler, dogmatist, bigot, zealot, enthusiast, fanatic, obstinate, tenacious, stubborn, obdurate, casehardened, inflexible, balky, immovable, unshakable, not to be moved, inert, unchangeable, inexorable, mulish, obstinate as a mule, pig-headed, dogged, sullen, sulky, unmoved, uninfluenced unaffected, willful, self-willed, perverse, resty, restive, restiff, pervicacious, wayward, refractory, unruly, heady, headstrong, entete, contumacious, crossgrained, arbitrary, dogmatic, positive, bigoted, prejudiced, creed- bound, prepossessed, infatuated, stiff-backed, stiff necked, stiff hearted, hard-mouthed, hidebound, unyielding, impervious, impracticable, inpersuasible, unpersuadable, intractable, untractable, incorrigible, deaf to advice, impervious to reason, crotchety, obstinately, non possumus, no surrender, ils n'ont rien appris ne rien oublie.

Disobedience

N disobedience, insubordination, contumacy, infraction, infringement, violation, noncompliance, nonobservance, revolt, rebellion, mutiny, outbreak, rising, uprising, insurrection, emeute, riot, tumult, strike, barring out, defiance, mutinousness, mutineering, sedition, treason, high treason, petty treason, misprision of treason, premunire, lese majeste, violation of law, defection, secession, insurgent, mutineer, rebel, revolter, revolutionary, rioter, traitor, quisling, carbonaro, sansculottes, red republican, bonnet rouge, communist, Fenian, frondeur, seceder, secessionist, runagate, renegade, brawler, anarchist, demagogue, Spartacus, Masaniello, Wat Tyler, Jack Cade, ringleader, disobedient, uncomplying, uncompliant, unsubmissive, unruly, ungovernable, breachy, insubordinate, impatient of control, incorrigible, restiff, restive, refractory, contumacious, recusant, recalcitrant, resisting, lawless, mutinous, seditions, insurgent, riotous, unobeyed, unbidden, seditiosissimus quisque ignavus, unthread the rude eye of rebellion.

Violence

N violence, inclemency, vehemence, might, impetuosity, boisterousness, effervescence, ebullition, turbulence, bluster, uproar, callithump, riot, row, rumpus, le diable a quatre, devil to pay, all the fat in the fire, severity, ferocity, rage, fury, exacerbation, exasperation, malignity, fit, paroxysm, orgasm, climax, aphrodisia, force, brute force, outrage, coup de main, strain, shock, shog, spasm, convulsion, throe, hysterics, passion, outbreak, outburst, debacle, burst, bounce, dissilience, discharge, volley, explosion, blow up, blast, detonation, rush, eruption, displosion, torrent, turmoil, ferment, storm, tempest, rough weather, squall, earthquake, volcano, thunderstorm, berserk, berserker, fury, dragon, demon, tiger, beldame, Tisiphone, Megaera, Alecto, madcap, wild beast, fire eater, violent, vehement, warm, acute, sharp, rough, rude, ungentle, bluff, boisterous, wild, brusque, abrupt, waspish, impetuous, rampant, turbulent, disorderly, blustering, raging, troublous, riotous, tumultuary, tumultuous, obstreperous, uproarious, extravagant, unmitigated, ravening, inextinguishable, tameless, frenzied, desperate, infuriate, furious, outrageous, frantic, hysteric, in hysterics, fiery, flaming, scorching, hot, red-hot, ebullient, savage, fierce, ferocious, fierce as a tiger, excited, unquelled, unquenched, unextinguished, unrepressed, unbridled, unruly, headstrong, ungovernable, unappeasable, immitigable, unmitigable, uncontrollable, incontrollable, insuppressible, irrepressible, orgastic, orgasmatic, orgasmic, spasmodic, convulsive, explosive, detonating, volcanic, meteoric, stormy, violently, amain, by storm, by force, by main force, with might and main, tooth and nail, vi et armis, at the point of the sword, at the point of the bayonet, at one fell swoop, with a high hand, through thick and thin, in desperation, with a vengeance, a outrance, a toute outrance, headlong, head foremost, furor arma ministrat, blown with restless violence round about the pende.