raucous

adjective

rau·​cous ˈrȯ-kəs How to pronounce raucous (audio)
Synonyms of raucous
1
: disagreeably harsh or strident : hoarse
raucous voices
2
: boisterously disorderly
… a … raucous frontier town …—Truman Capote
raucously adverb
raucousness noun

Synonyms of raucous

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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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The city also said Walker had not provided proof that the facility was exclusively housing veterans, as permitted under the earlier court order; neighbors had instead reported raucous parties and men, women and children living there. — Violet Ikonomova, Freep.com, 28 Aug. 2026 Host Ian Ziering rushed to help the pageant queen, who got back up gracefully, to raucous applause from the audience. — Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 28 Aug. 2026 The atmosphere at Citi Field has been noticeably more raucous. — Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 28 Aug. 2026 The Spice Girl, like her fellow judges, struggled to be heard over the raucous audience. — Lars Brandle, Billboard, 26 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for raucous

Word History

Etymology

Latin raucus hoarse; akin to Latin ravis hoarseness

First Known Use

1769, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of raucous was in 1769

Rhymes for raucous

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Browse Nearby Words

raucle
raucous
raucously
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Cite this Entry

“Raucous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/raucous. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Kids Definition

raucous

adjective
rau·​cous ˈrȯ-kəs How to pronounce raucous (audio)
1
: being harsh and unpleasant
a raucous voice
2
: behaving in a rough and noisy way
a raucous crowd
raucously adverb
raucousness noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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