hell-raising

adjective

as in rowdy
being rough or noisy in a high-spirited way would often reminisce with his buddies about their hell-raising adventures as teenagers

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hell-raising His gruff mechanic Cooter Davenport is introduced as a hell-raising, uncouth wild man, constantly taunting the authorities and flouting convention. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Aug. 2026 Still, he's still got plenty of hell-raising left in him. — Joey Guerra, Houston Chronicle, 19 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hell-raising
  1. rowdy
  2. rambunctious
  3. boisterous
  4. raucous
  5. rollicking
  6. rumbustious
  7. knockabout
  8. lively
Adjective
  • As Musashi scrambles through a school of Samurai, the game seamlessly bounces between skillful swordplay, rowdy improvisation, and Looney Tunes-style levity.
    — Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 31 Aug. 2026
  • In front of a rowdy Queens crowd, the superstars surged in their debut to a 5-3, 4-1 victory against Routliffe and Glasspool, despite a slow start.
    — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of rowdy
Adjective
  • There’s also a kids water park for the more rambunctious members of the family to get their energy out.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Enter a rambunctious alien, who crash-lands on Earth just when Lilo needs him the most.
    — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of rambunctious
Adjective
  • The boisterous, perhaps even hard-to-corral high school teenage boys would go silent.
    — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Despite his undoubted technical ability, the boisterous midfielder is known for his aggressive play in the centre of the park which often draws the ire of fans of rival clubs.
    — Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of boisterous
Adjective
  • The Spice Girl, like her fellow judges, struggled to be heard over the raucous audience.
    — Lars Brandle, Billboard, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Golden State started 5 of 27 in front of a raucous, sellout crowd.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of raucous
Adjective
  • Murphy then appeared on stage to a rollicking standing ovation and made his way to his place at the dais toward the back of the room.
    — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 19 Apr. 2026
  • Those self-aware lyrics are paired with breezy melody and a gently rollicking rhythm, making this feel like a freewheeling summertime favorite.
    — Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 24 Mar. 2026
Definition of rollicking
Adjective
  • The movie is both exquisite and rumbustious, stylized and energized.
    — Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 5 May 2022
  • Still, there’s a lot of pleasing vitality to this great American story about how clever brewers took an ancient idea and unlocked an unheard-of range of innovations with a combination of capitalist energy and rumbustious creativity.
    — Kyle Smith, National Review, 18 Apr. 2021
Definition of rumbustious
Adjective
  • The style is almost knockabout, with a color palette reminiscent of Coralie Fargeat, but quickly evolves into its own thing with the arrival of Taquin as Margot, a medical student at a nearby hospital.
    — Damon Wise, Deadline, 15 May 2026
  • Though thematically vague, thinly plotted and without a reliably sympathetic soul to cling to, the movie has a mutinous energy and an absurd, knockabout charm; even its violence is more quirky than brutal.
    — JEANNETTE CATSOULIS, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2017
Definition of knockabout
Adjective
  • In this case, the filings contain screen grabs of text messages and other communications that seem very …lively.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 26 Aug. 2026
  • This season there has been no shortage of excitement or panic after a lively opening weekend.
    — Michael Cox, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of lively

Browse Nearby Words

hellos
hell-raising
hells
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hell-raising.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hell-raising. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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