Unruly Definition

ŭn-ro͝olē
unrulier, unruliest
adjective
unrulier, unruliest
Difficult or impossible to discipline, control, or rule.
The substitute teacher faced unruly students in the classroom.
American Heritage
Hard to control, restrain, or keep in order; disobedient, disorderly, etc.
Webster's New World
The police gathered to contain the unruly mob.
Wiktionary
Antonyms:

Other Word Forms of Unruly

Adjective

Base Form:
unruly
Comparative:
unrulier

Origin of Unruly

  • From Middle English unruly (“unquiet, restless"), interpreted as 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- +"Ž roolie. The latter is perhaps from or influenced by an Old Norse word related to Danish urolig (“restless"), Swedish orolig (“restless"), Icelandic órólegur (“agitated"). Compare also Middle English unroo, unro (“unrest"). More at roo.

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English unreuli un- not un–1 reuli easy to govern (from reule rule rule)

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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