as in rebellion
refusal to obey
frustrated by the boys' unruliness, the lifeguard asked them to leave the pool
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Recent Examples of unruliness
In 2024, Buffett offered prescient reflections on the unruliness of the market, long before the prediction markets began to sway Wall Street.
—
Jacqueline Munis, Fortune, 28 Apr. 2026
Their sprawl and unruliness, their capacity to be anything.
—Literary Hub, 23 Apr. 2026
In Olga Tokarczuk’s work, knowing how to pick mushrooms—organisms open to unruliness and interconnection and resistant to easy labeling—is a sign of good character.
—Christopher Tayler, The New York Review of Books, 2 Oct. 2025
Any unruliness was saved for the sketches.
—Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
Bateman commits to his character’s wiry unruliness and makes Vince into a self-destructive twit, which is probably by intent.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2025
Jacqueline Munis, Fortune, 28 Apr. 2026
Their sprawl and unruliness, their capacity to be anything.
—Literary Hub, 23 Apr. 2026
In Olga Tokarczuk’s work, knowing how to pick mushrooms—organisms open to unruliness and interconnection and resistant to easy labeling—is a sign of good character.
—Christopher Tayler, The New York Review of Books, 2 Oct. 2025
Any unruliness was saved for the sketches.
—Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
Bateman commits to his character’s wiry unruliness and makes Vince into a self-destructive twit, which is probably by intent.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unruliness
Noun
-
The rebellion stems from Labor’s heavy losses in local elections last week and widespread party frustration over Starmer’s leadership, stagnant economic growth and failure to deliver on campaign promises.—
Danica Kirka,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
-
On the internet, masculinism is presented as a rebellion—a transgressive middle finger to the liberal establishment, expressed in all the words a corporate HR department would order you not to say.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
The battle wasn't really over, though, as Jamie was shot and killed in a final act of defiance from the British.—
Julia Moore,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
-
Rather than performing as defiance against repression, Vahdat sees singing as an act of strength, resilience and self-protection.—
Andrew Gilbert,
Mercury News,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
The pseudo-goth hair and costume choices speak to an inner rebelliousness that isn’t so much unleashed as forced loose by a system that values the appearance of a mythical impartiality over her humanity, leaving her with little recourse but to step outside the confines of the law.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
23 Feb. 2026
-
The natural obstinacy and rebelliousness of Israa’s teenage years are hyperaccelerated by culture clashes with both her family and the other kids around her.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Those leaders who ignore or flout the law aren’t merely unethical but fatally arrogant, putting their childish willfulness over the wisdom of generations.—
David Brooks,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Though the Durutti Column had been a disaster, Wilson was fascinated by the guitarist, who admired punk’s willfulness even though his own musical taste tended toward jazz, blues, and the classical tradition.—
Brad Shoup,
Pitchfork,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The disrespect will only add to the motivation for the defending Division 1 champions.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
9 May 2026
-
Let’s be honest here, and no disrespect to venerable family board games, but Monopoly is kind of boring.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unruliness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unruliness. Accessed 26 May. 2026.
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