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 of raucous

• boisterous
• rowdy
• rambunctious
• lively
• rollicking
• noisy
• rumbustious
• robustious
• violent

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

Better yet, visit at the end of September for the Feile Tilting, a celebration of the Titling community’s irish heritage that culminates in what is rumored to be a pretty raucous shed crawl. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Apr. 2026

The raucous comedy, starring Wendi McLendon-Covey, Allison Tolman and Mekki Leeper among others, follows nurses and doctors in an underfunded hospital. —Madeleine Janz, PEOPLE, 1 Apr. 2026

But a second-half surge by the Illini led to raucous celebrations for fans who now have their sights set on the Final Four next weekend. —Victor Jacobo, CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026

Trump’s campaign used footage of the raucous ovation to help launch its TikTok account. —Will Weissert, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin raucus hoarse; akin to Latin ravis hoarseness

First Known Use

1769, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for raucous

• caucus
• coccus
• glaucous
• glaucus
• cryptococcus
• diplococcus
• gonococcus
• micrococcus
• pneumococcus
• streptococcus
• echinococcus
• enterococcus

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