rumbustious

adjective

rum·​bus·​tious ˌrəm-ˈbəs-chəs How to pronounce rumbustious (audio)
Synonyms of rumbustiousnext
chiefly British
: rambunctious
rumbustiously adverb chiefly British
rumbustiousness noun chiefly British

Synonyms

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Examples of rumbustious in a Sentence

while American university debates tend to be sedate affairs, their counterparts in Oxford are wholeheartedly rumbustious
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The movie is both exquisite and rumbustious, stylized and energized. — Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 5 May 2022 From 1657, when tea first became available in London’s coffeehouses, to the early seventeen-hundreds, when women were invited in, recreational tea drinking was the preserve of rumbustious gentlemen. — David Kortava, The New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2021

Word History

Etymology

alteration of robustious

First Known Use

circa 1777, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of rumbustious was circa 1777

Browse Nearby Words

rumbustical
rumbustious
rum cherry
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Cite this Entry

“Rumbustious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rumbustious. Accessed 26 Mar. 2025.

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