Word
unruly
Phoneticsun·ruly
US/ənˈɹuɫi/
UK/ʌnɹˈuːli/
Definition
adj. difficult to control or keep organized. You use this to describe people who do not follow rules or hair that will not stay neat.
adj. disorderly and disruptive; not amenable to discipline or control. Often used to describe crowds, children, or physical objects like hair that resist grooming.
Examples
“The teacher struggled to manage the unruly class.”
“After the game ended in a draw, an unruly crowd gathered outside the stadium to protest the referee's decision.”
“The biographer describes the poet's unruly early years, characterized by a refusal to conform to social expectations and a series of public disagreements with his peers.”
Examples
simple
“The teacher struggled to manage the unruly class.”
contextual
“After the game ended in a draw, an unruly crowd gathered outside the stadium to protest the referee's decision.”
complex
“The biographer describes the poet's unruly early years, characterized by a refusal to conform to social expectations and a series of public disagreements with his peers.”
Usage
Typically used both attributively before a noun and predicatively after a linking verb like 'become' or 'grow'.
Real-World Examples
“The Marx Brothers—stage-named Chico, Harpo, Groucho, Gummo and Zeppo—were real-life, unruly brothers from Manhattan’s Upper East Side who were pushed into show business by their mother in the earliest years of the 20th century.” 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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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