unruly
Wild and difficult to control.
unruly in a sentence
- The unruly puppies knocked over the water bowl and shredded the newspaper.
- The wind made Nadia's unruly curls impossible to control, whipping them across her face.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to unruly?
- Acalm
- Bwild
- Cgentle
- Dobedient
Show the answer
B: wild. The other three mean the opposite of unruly.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to unruly?
- Awild
- Bcalm
- Cnaughty
- Drowdy
Show the answer
B: calm. The other three mean nearly the same as unruly.
Words that mean something similar
wild, rowdy, naughty
Words that mean the opposite
calm, obedient, gentle
More words about behaviour & manners
- uphold: To support or defend something, such as a rule or belief.
- vile: Extremely unpleasant or nasty.
- volatile: Likely to change suddenly, often for the worse.
- wary: Careful because you sense there might be danger.
- wasteful: Using more of something than you need, so some of it is thrown away or lost.
- wayward: Behaving badly and hard to control.
- wholesome: Good for you and healthy.
- yield: To give in and stop fighting, or to produce something like crops.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test