boisterous

adjective bois·ter·ous \ ˈbȯi-st(ə-)rəs \

Definition of boisterous

1 obsolete

a :coarse

b :durable, strong

c :massive

2 a :noisily turbulent :rowdy

b :marked by or expressive of exuberance and high spirits

3 :stormy, tumultuous

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boisterously

adverb

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boisterousness

noun

See boisterous defined for English-language learners

See boisterous defined for kids

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 of boisterous from the Web

Joining in the festivities was Queen Argus II Gina Pausina Cherry who added a touch of elegance to the boisterous krewe.

— elizabeth moore, NOLA.com, "'Women of Infinite Possibilities' mambo in July at Tchefuncta CC party," 25 Aug. 2017
Jokes are made amid explanations of courses; the little bites are called snacks, rather than highfalutin amuse-bouche and mignardise; and the sound of boisterous weekend diners bleeds into EsterEv's space.

— carol deptolla, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "A taste of something great at EsterEv," 10 Aug. 2017
Turner’s boisterous pre- and post-game show that has won nine Emmys.

— rick bonnell, charlotteobserver, "How TNT’s Ernie Johnson gathered expertise he needs for this PGA Championship," 9 Aug. 2017
WEEKEND NOISE All that concrete, beer, and crowds can add up to a boisterous 96 decibels.

— craig laban, Philly.com, "VERY GOOD," 6 Aug. 2017
And because of their instant rapport, Chung could get the boisterous Kay to behave when some of her colleagues could not.

— zoë kirsch, The Atlantic, "The Student Who Almost Got Away," 3 Aug. 2017
This was unacceptable to Bernardo Hees, the boisterous Brazilian who had been chief executive of Kraft Heinz for barely a year, since ketchup king H.J. Heinz Co. and mac-and-cheese icon Kraft Foods Inc. merged in a $55 billion deal in July 2015.

— bryan gruley, Bloomberg.com, "Why the Hatchet Men of 3G Spent $10 Million on a Better Oscar Mayer Weiner," 2 Aug. 2017
This isn't the loud, boisterous Tyler of albums past.

— ira madison iii, GQ, "Has Tyler, the Creator Earned His Redemption?," 26 July 2017
Matthews, Auburn's leading tackler last season and defensive leader, wasn't being boisterous or going for bravado.

— james crepea, AL.com, "Auburn looking forward to 'huge game' at defending national champion Clemson," 18 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'boisterous.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of boisterous

Middle English boistous crude, clumsy, from Anglo-French

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

boisterous Synonyms

Synonyms

hell-raising, knockabout, rambunctious, raucous, robustious, roisterous, rollicking, rowdy, rumbustious [chiefly British], wild and woolly

Antonyms

orderly

Near Antonyms

sedate, sober, solemn, somber (or sombre), staid; decorous, dignified, proper, seemly; calm, hushed, noiseless, peaceful, placid, quiet, restrained, serene, silent, soundless, tranquil; collected, composed, constrained, controlled, imperturbable, inhibited, repressed, self-controlled, unflappable, unruffled; moderate, reasonable, subdued, temperate; impassive, phlegmatic, stoic (or stoical), stolid; depressed; aloof, detached, indifferent

Synonym Discussion of boisterous

vociferous, clamorous, blatant, strident, boisterous, obstreperous mean so loud or insistent as to compel attention. vociferous implies a vehement shouting or calling out.