unruly

English

Etymology

From Middle English unruly (“unquiet, restless”), equivalent to 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- +‎ roolie. The latter is perhaps from or influenced by Old Norse *úróligr, related to Danish urolig (“restless”), Swedish orolig (“restless”), Icelandic órólegur (“agitated”). Compare also Middle English unroo, unro (“unrest”). More at roo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʌnˈɹuːli/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uːli

Adjective

unruly (comparative unrulier, superlative unruliest)

1. Wild; uncontrolled.

   The police gathered to contain the unruly mob.

   • 1985, Morrissey & Johnny Marr, “Barbarism Begins at Home”, in Meat Is Murder, performed by The Smiths:

     Unruly boys who will not grow up / Must be taken in hand / Unruly girls who will not settle down / They must be taken in hand

   • 2011 Allen Gregory, "Pilot" (season 1, episode 1):

     Richard DeLongpre: Are you okay, my boy angel?

     Allen Gregory DeLongpre: I have a broken heart. And undergarments filled with my own unruly waste.

   • 2025 May 16, Edward Helmore, “What does ‘8647’ really mean? Not what Trump’s supporters are saying”, in The Guardian‎^[1]:

     The bar had two entrances, one on Barrow and another via Bedford, and “86” referred to the address of the door from which intoxicated or unruly guests would be ejected.

Translations

wild

• Arabic: مُتَوَحِّش (ar) (mutawaḥḥiš), خارج عن السيطرَة
• Armenian: սանձարձակ (hy) (sanjarjak)
• Bulgarian: непокорен (bg) (nepokoren), недисциплиниран (bg) (nediscipliniran)
• Finnish: kuriton (fi)
• French: désobéissant (fr), incontrôlable (fr), indiscipliné (fr)
• German: unbändig (de), wild (de), widerspenstig (de), undiszipliniert, aufsässig (de)
• Gothic: 𐌿𐌽𐌲𐌰𐍄𐌰𐍃𐍃 (ungatass), 𐌿𐌽𐍄𐌰𐌻𐍃 (untals)
• Irish: aimhleasta, ainrianta, amhsach, díchoiscthe, dochoiscthe, doriartha, dosmachtaithe, feillbhéasach, míréireach, mírialta, místiúrtha, oilbhéasach
• Macedonian: бу́ен (búen), бу́нтовен (búntoven), непо́корен (nepókoren), непо́слушен (nepóslušen)
• Persian: سرکش (fa) (sarkeš), نافرمان (fa) (nâfarmân)
• Portuguese: descontrolado (pt), desgovernado (pt)
• Romanian: nesupus (ro), neascultător (ro)
• Russian: неконтроли́руемый (ru) (nekontrolírujemyj), непослу́шный (ru) (neposlúšnyj)
• Spanish: revoltoso (es), descontrolado (es), incontrolable (es), díscolo (es)
• Ukrainian: бу́йний (uk) (bújnyj), неслухня́ний (nesluxnjányj), бунтівни́й (uk) (buntivnýj), неконтрольо́ваний (nekontrolʹóvanyj), непокі́рний (nepokírnyj)