boisterous

adjective

bois·​ter·​ous ˈbȯi-st(ə-)rəs 

1

a

: noisily turbulent : rowdy

b

: marked by or expressive of exuberance and high spirits

2

: stormy, tumultuous

3

obsolete

a

: coarse

b

: durable, strong

c

: massive

boisterously adverb

boisterousness noun

Synonyms

• raucous
• rowdy
• rambunctious
• lively
• rumbustious [chiefly British]
• noisy
• rollicking
• violent
• robustious

Choose the Right Synonym for boisterous

vociferous, clamorous, blatant, strident, boisterous, obstreperous mean so loud or insistent as to compel attention.

vociferous implies a vehement shouting or calling out.

vociferous cries of protest and outrage

clamorous may imply insistency as well as vociferousness in demanding or protesting.

clamorous demands for prison reforms

blatant implies an offensive bellowing or insensitive loudness.

blatant rock music

a blatant clamor for impeachment

strident suggests harsh and discordant noise.

heard the strident cry of the crow

boisterous suggests a noisiness and turbulence due to high spirits.

a boisterous crowd of party goers

obstreperous suggests unruly and aggressive noisiness and resistance to restraint.

the obstreperous demonstrators were arrested

Examples of boisterous in a Sentence

The crowd was young and boisterous, the cheeseburgers were juicy and perfectly charred, and the place was always packed. —Jonathan Black, Saveur, October 2007

Things had apparently gotten a little too boisterous during the Northern Ohio Girls Soccer League games. And it wasn't the kids. Fed up with noisy, know-it-all parents, the league banned cheering and jeering from the sidelines for one game, which they dubbed Silent Sunday. —Kate Rounds, Ms., December 1999/January 2000

Suzanne Massie, boisterous and voluble as we drove through her adopted neighborhood in St. Petersburg, hurtled to a sudden stop. She was laughing uproariously to see the spot, where five years earlier, her rented car had fallen apart … —Christopher Lydon, Atlantic, February 1993

A large and boisterous crowd attended the concert.

the fans at the baseball game became particularly boisterous after the home run

Recent Examples on the Web

The bar queues remain orderly, the chat is boisterous, but body odour is now rife. —Tim Spiers, New York Times, 11 July 2025

At a boisterous court hearing Monday, America’s largest for-profit prison company asked a Kansas judge to reconsider whether it should be allowed to reopen its shuttered Leavenworth prison as an immigrant detention center. —Kansas City Star, 8 July 2025

Alcohol could be purchased (an average of $20 a drink), and that did not help attendees manage their boisterous and noisy behavior. —Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 10 June 2025

Keys’ exit left just one of the top six women in the bracket before the end of Week 1: No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who stuck around by claiming the last five games and defeating 2021 U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu of Britain 7-6 (6), 6-4 at a boisterous Centre Court at night. —Howard Fendrich, Baltimore Sun, 4 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English boistous crude, clumsy, from Anglo-French

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3a

Kids Definition

boisterous

adjective

bois·​ter·​ous ˈbȯi-st(ə-)rəs 

1

a

: noisily rough : rowdy

a boisterous crowd

b

: marked by high spirits

boisterous laughter

2

: vigorously active : stormy

boisterously adverb

boisterousness noun