unruly

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/ʌnˈruːli/
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Difficult to control, discipline, manage, or keep neat, especially because of disorderly behavior or wild growth.
Practice using unruly in conversation until it feels natural

Examples

  • The dog was too unruly for a small apartment.
  • Police were called to control the unruly crowd.
  • An unruly hedge blocked the path.
  • She tied back her unruly hair.
  • He tried to smooth his unruly beard before the interview.

Similar words

tangled
wild
rebellious
unmanageable
disobedient
turbulent
uncontrolled
wild
undisciplined
disorderly

Meanings

Difficult to control or discipline

adjective
everyday
neutral
Difficult to control, manage, discipline, or keep orderly, especially because of noisy, disobedient, or turbulent behavior.

Usage

Use unruly for children, crowds, passengers, fans, animals, behavior, tempers, or situations that are hard to control. It often suggests disorder and lack of discipline rather than deliberate political resistance.

Examples

  • The teacher struggled with an unruly class.
  • Police were called to control the unruly crowd.
  • The airline removed an unruly passenger from the flight.
  • His unruly behavior disrupted the meeting.
  • The dog was too unruly for a small apartment.
  • An unruly temper can damage close relationships.
  • The celebration became loud and unruly after midnight.

Common mistakes

Unruly is an adjective, so it describes a noun or follows a linking verb. It is stronger than messy when people or behavior are involved because it adds the idea of control or discipline.
IncorrectCorrect
The class unruly during the lesson. The class was unruly during the lesson.
The police unruly the crowd. The police controlled the unruly crowd.
He made an unruly in the airport. He caused trouble in the airport.
The behavior was messy and loud. The behavior was unruly and loud.

Similar words

disorderly
uncontrolled
disobedient
rowdy
rebellious
wild
unmanageable
undisciplined
turbulent

Hard to keep neat

adjective
everyday
neutral
Difficult to keep tidy, smooth, or in order, especially when hair, plants, or growth sticks out or spreads irregularly.

Usage

Use unruly for hair, curls, beards, hedges, gardens, or vines that resist neat arrangement. It is softer and more vivid than messy, and it often suggests natural movement or abundance.

Examples

  • She tied back her unruly hair.
  • The child had a mop of unruly curls.
  • An unruly hedge blocked the path.
  • The garden looked beautiful but slightly unruly.
  • He tried to smooth his unruly beard before the interview.
  • The vine grew into an unruly mass by summer.
  • A little oil helped tame the unruly strands.

Common mistakes

Unruly can describe hair or plants, but it still suggests something hard to manage. Do not use it for any ordinary untidy object unless that object seems hard to keep under control.
IncorrectCorrect
My desk is unruly. My desk is messy.
Her hair is disobedient today. Her hair is unruly today.
The garden became undisciplined. The garden became unruly.
He has an unruly of curls. He has unruly curls.

Similar words

messy
untidy
wild
tangled
unkempt
disordered
straggly
wayward

Usage

Unruly works well for behavior, crowds, children, passengers, animals, tempers, hair, and plants that are hard to control or keep in order. Use defiant for open challenge, messy for ordinary untidiness, and unmanageable when the focus is practical control.

Common mistakes

The class unruly is missing a verb. Say The class was unruly. Unruly is not just untidy or loud, it usually points to something difficult to control, discipline, or keep orderly.

Etymology

From Middle English unreuly, built from un- and reuly, meaning disciplined or governed by rule. Reuly came from reule, an older form of rule. The positive word ruly is now rare, while unruly remains common.

FAQ

What does unruly mean?

Unruly means difficult to control, discipline, manage, or keep neat.

Is unruly usually negative?

Often yes, especially for behavior or crowds. For hair or gardens, it can be milder and sometimes almost affectionate.

What is unruly behavior?

Unruly behavior is disorderly, noisy, disobedient, or hard-to-control behavior.

Can unruly describe hair?

Yes. Unruly hair is hair that is hard to keep neat, smooth, or controlled.

What is the difference between unruly and defiant?

Unruly means hard to control or discipline. Defiant means openly challenging authority or pressure.

What are the comparative forms of unruly?

The comparative is unrulier, and the superlative is unruliest.

What are synonyms for unruly?

Common synonyms include disorderly, uncontrolled, disobedient, rowdy, wild, unmanageable, and untidy.

Comments & contributions

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Wise Starling
4 days ago
My phone tried to autocorrect this to "un truly" three times, thanks phone
0
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Quick Bobcat
5 days ago
As a teacher, unruly class feels more exhausting than bad class. bad is moral, unruly is no control left
2
Reply
Coral Jay
5 days ago
Airport English is so gentle sometimes. "Unruly" and then the story is someone bit a guy.
1
Reply
Snowy Puffin
Jul 11
En español diríamos pelo rebelde, pero "rebellious hair" me suena demasiado literal en inglés.
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Indigo Terrapin
Jul 10
i thought ruly was fake until today lol
1
Reply
Cobalt Whale
Jul 7
this word always makes my hair sound like it has a lawyer
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Contribution
Lofty Jay
Jul 5
Small pronunciation trap: it is un-ROO-lee, stress in the middle. I hear learners punch the un part because of the prefix, but native speakers dont usually do that.
0
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Windy Nightingale
Jul 3
You also see it with abstract nouns, like an unruly imagination or the unruly world of language. Then it means hard to force into a neat system, not badly behaved like a child.
1
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Contribution
Wandering Egret
Jul 1
For gardens, unruly can even be a compliment if you like that cottage-garden look. Overgrown is more negative, unruly can still be alive and pretty.
1
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Contribution
Witty Owl
Jun 28
With hair it doesnt always mean ugly. Someone can complain about unruly curls and still love them, they just wont stay where the comb put them.
2
Reply
Fancy Kudu
Jun 28
same with beard, unruly beard doesnt mean dirty, just needs a comb
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Contribution
Swift Weasel
Jun 27
Unrulier and unruliest are real, but they look a bit cartoonish to me. In normal writing I reach for more unruly unless the sentence already has that playful sound.
0
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Contribution
Hidden Lynx
Jun 25
Unruliness is the noun you want. "The unruly in the classroom" sounds broken, but "the unruliness in the classroom" works fine.
1
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Contribution
Eager Horse
Jun 19
The opposite ruly exists, but dont put it in normal conversation unless you are joking. "A ruly crowd" sounds like a dictionary example, not like a thing most people would say.
1
Reply
Perky Snail
Jun 24
i only know ruly from word nerd jokes tbh
0
Contribution
Minty Panda
Jun 17
For kids, unruly is not quite the same as naughty. A naughty child did something bad, an unruly class means the whole room has stopped being manageable.
1
Reply
Contribution
Midnight Beaver
Jun 17
Careful with crowds and protests. If a report calls people unruly, it often sounds like the police or the headline writer is judging them from the control-room side of things.
2
Reply
Contribution
Winter Dolphin
Jun 17
On flights, "unruly passenger" is basically the official label now. It can be refusing crew instructions, threats, assault, outside alcohol, that whole mess, not just someone talking too loud in 23B.
3
Reply
Lucky Otter
Jun 17
yeah the airline press releases all use it, sounds weirdly polite for someone getting zip tied
1
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