While the unmanageable or ungovernable defies control, the rebellious or seditious may be forced to submission; as, the man has an ungovernable temper; the horses became unmanageable; he tamed his rebellious spirit.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

uncontrollable I am seized by an uncontrollable wave of sadness.
unruly The police managed to corral the unruly crowd.
unmanageable They were unmanageable pupils.
violent Violent criminals were often bullies in childhood.

Popularity over time

Word	1850 → 2019	Trend
ungovernable		rising
uncontrollable		rising
unruly		rising
unmanageable		steady
mutinous		rising
violent		rising

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

4 letters: wild¹
6 letters: unruly³
7 letters: violent³, defiant³, restive²
8 letters: stubborn², perverse², untoward³, mutinous³, indocile
9 letters: fractious²
10 letters: rebellious³, refractory⁴, headstrong²
11 letters: intractable⁴, disobedient⁵, uncheckable
12 letters: unmanageable⁵, recalcitrant⁴, contumacious
13 letters: irrepressible⁵, insubordinate⁵
14 letters: uncontrollable⁵

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (unruly³ = 3 syllables).