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 (lyrics and music), “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.

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)