Meanings
comparative unrulier · superlative unruliest
- Wild; uncontrolled.
The police gathered to contain the unruly mob.
3 more examples
Unruly boys who will not grow up / Must be taken in hand / Unruly girls who will not settle down / They must be taken in hand
1985, Morrissey & Johnny Marr, “Barbarism Begins at Home”, in Meat Is Murder, performed by The SmithsRichard DeLongpre: Are you okay, my boy angel? Allen Gregory DeLongpre: I have a broken heart. And undergarments filled with my own unruly waste.
2011 Allen Gregory, "Pilot" (season 1, episode 1)The bar had two entrances, one on Barrow and another via Bedford, and “86” referred to the address of the door from which intoxicated or unruly guests would be ejected.
2025 May 16, Edward Helmore, “What does ‘8647’ really mean? Not what Trump’s supporters are saying”, in The Guardian
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectivenoisy and lacking in restraint or discipline
adjectiveunwilling to submit to authority
adjectiveincapable of being controlled
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Old Norse*úróligr
- Middle Englishunrouly
- Middle Englishunruly“unquiet, restless”
- Englishunruly
From Middle English unruly (“unquiet, restless”), equivalent to un- + rule + -ly (compare Middle English ruly, reuli (“subject to a religious rule, regular”)), but also representing a modified continuation of earlier Middle English unrouly, unroly (“unquiet, restless”), equivalent to un- + roolie. The latter is perhaps from or influenced by Old Norse *úróligr, related to Danish urolig (“restless”), Swedish orolig (“restless”), Icelandic órólegur (“agitated”). Compare also Middle English unroo, unro (“unrest”). More at roo.
More words from Middle English, Old Norse
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic مُتَوَحِّش, خارج عن السيطرَة
- مُتَوَحِّش (mutawaḥḥiš)wild
- خارج عن السيطرَةwild
Bulgarian непокорен, недисциплиниран
- непокорен (nepokoren)wild
- недисциплиниран (nediscipliniran)wild
Czech neukázněný, nezvladatelný
- neukázněnýwild
- nezvladatelnýwild
- vzpurnýwild
- divokýwild
- nepoddajnýwild
Finnish kuriton
- kuritonwild
French désobéissant, incontrôlable
- désobéissantwild
- incontrôlablewild
- indisciplinéwild
German unbändig, wild
- unbändigwild
- wildwild
- widerspenstigwild
- undiszipliniertwild
- aufsässigwild
Irish aimhleasta, ainrianta
- aimhleastawild
- ainriantawild
- amhsachwild
- díchoiscthewild
- dochoiscthewild
- doriarthawild
- dosmachtaithewild
- feillbhéasachwild
- míréireachwild
- mírialtawild
- místiúrthawild
- oilbhéasachwild
Persian سرکش, نافرمان
- سرکش (sarkeš)wild
- نافرمان (nâfarmân)wild
Polish niesforny, nieposłuszny
- niesfornywild
- nieposłusznywild
Portuguese descontrolado, desgovernado
- descontroladowild
- desgovernadowild
Romanian nesupus, neascultător
- nesupuswild
- neascultătorwild
Russian неконтроли́руемый, непослу́шный
- неконтроли́руемый (nekontrolírujemyj)wild
- непослу́шный (neposlúšnyj)wild
Spanish revoltoso, descontrolado
- revoltosowild
- descontroladowild
- incontrolablewild
- díscolowild
Ukrainian бу́йний, неслухня́ний
- бу́йний (bújnyj)wild
- неслухня́ний (nesluxnjányj)wild
- бунтівни́й (buntivnýj)wild
- неконтрольо́ваний (nekontrolʹóvanyj)wild
- непокі́рний (nepokírnyj)wild
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with unruly
Cite this entry
unruly. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unruly
“unruly.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unruly. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “unruly,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unruly.
Source: unruly on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.