raucous

adjective

rau·​cous ˈrȯ-kəs 

1

: disagreeably harsh or strident : hoarse

raucous voices

2

: boisterously disorderly

a … raucous frontier town

—Truman Capote

raucously adverb

raucousness noun

Synonyms

• boisterous
• hell-raising
• knockabout
• rambunctious
• robustious
• roisterous
• rollicking
• rowdy
• rumbustious [chiefly British]

Choose the Right Synonym for raucous

loud, stentorian, earsplitting, raucous, strident mean marked by intensity or volume of sound.

loud applies to any volume above normal and may suggest undue vehemence or obtrusiveness.

loud shouts of protest

stentorian implies great power and range.

an actor with a stentorian voice

earsplitting implies loudness that is physically discomforting.

the earsplitting sound of a siren

raucous implies a loud harsh grating tone, especially of voice, and may suggest rowdiness.

the raucous shouts of drunken revelers

strident implies a rasping discordant but insistent quality, especially of voice.

the strident voices of hecklers

Examples of raucous in a Sentence

He stepped over one man, avoided a raucous group of inebriated merchant seamen staggering for their boats, ran up his steps into the large foyer … —James Clavell, Gai-Jin, 1994

The scene was reminiscent of a college fraternity reunion, with plenty of backslapping, joking, hugging and raucous laughter. —Lewis Beale, Chicago Tribune, 15 Feb. 1987

On the ledge of rock above this strange couple there stood three solemn buzzards, who, at the sight of the new comers uttered raucous screams of disappointment and flapped sullenly away. —Arthur Conan Doyle, A Study in Scarlet, 1887

the partying neighbors kept up their raucous laughter half the night

Recent Examples on the Web

The raucous host gave a spotlight to conspiracy theories from NFL player Aaron Rodgers and spent time calling out Williamson for what McAfee said were leaks to media outlets about the ratings performance of his program. —Brian Steinberg, Variety, 5 Apr. 2024

Rohrwacher similarly dotes on Arthur and his gang of vandals, patronizing their colorful, raucous vulgarity. —Armond White, National Review, 3 Apr. 2024

The meditative ritual might appear incongruent with the raucous epicenter of the nation’s conservative movement, but Mr. Trump’s political creed stands as one of the starkest examples of his effort to transform the Republican Party into a kind of Church of Trump. —Michael C. Bender, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2024

Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia electrified a raucous crowd at Kauffman Stadium in the first inning. —Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 28 Mar. 2024

Residents unwind at its famed, raucous take on Mardi Gras and annual Elvis festival, and relish dirt-track and dragon boat racing. —Shawn Tully, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2024

In the past, the neighborhood was bustling—and occasionally raucous, full of fishermen and grocers working next to bordellos and bars. —Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 25 Mar. 2024

Almost immediately after its founding in 1955, the Village Voice became the most raucous, irreverent and important alternative newspaper in America. —Tricia Romano, Rolling Stone, 2 Mar. 2024

Hart accepted the award in the Kennedy Center’s 2,465-seat concert hall, capping a raucous 2.5-hour night filmed by Netflix. —Travis M. Andrews, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin raucus hoarse; akin to Latin ravis hoarseness

First Known Use

1769, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

raucous

adjective

rau·​cous ˈrȯ-kəs 

1

: being harsh and unpleasant

a raucous voice

2

: behaving in a rough and noisy way

a raucous crowd

raucously adverb

raucousness noun