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
Jul 14
My phone tried to autocorrect this to "un truly" three times, thanks phone
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Quick Bobcat
Jul 13
As a teacher, unruly class feels more exhausting than bad class. bad is moral, unruly is no control left
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Coral Jay
Jul 13
Airport English is so gentle sometimes. "Unruly" and then the story is someone bit a guy.
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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
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Cobalt Whale
Jul 7
this word always makes my hair sound like it has a lawyer
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Fancy Kudu
Jun 28
same with beard, unruly beard doesnt mean dirty, just needs a comb
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Perky Snail
Jun 24
i only know ruly from word nerd jokes tbh
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Lucky Otter
Jun 17
yeah the airline press releases all use it, sounds weirdly polite for someone getting zip tied