First Known Use: 14th century
Dictionary
boisterous
adjective bois·ter·ous \ˈbȯi-st(ə-)rəs\
: very noisy and active in a lively way
Full Definition of BOISTEROUS
2
a : noisily turbulent : rowdy b : marked by or expressive of exuberance and high spirits
See boisterous defined for English-language learners
See boisterous defined for kids
ADVERTISEMENT
Examples of BOISTEROUS
- The crowd was young and boisterous, the cheeseburgers were juicy and perfectly charred, and the place was always packed. —Jonathan Black, Saveur, October 2007
- 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
- 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
- [+]more
Origin of BOISTEROUS
Middle English boistous crude, clumsy, from Anglo-French
Related to BOISTEROUS
- Synonyms
- hell-raising, knockabout, rambunctious, raucous, robustious, roisterous, rollicking, rowdy, rumbustious [chiefly British], wild and woolly
- Antonyms
- orderly
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 <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>.
Rhymes with BOISTEROUS
BOISTEROUS Defined for Kids
boisterous
adjective bois·ter·ous \ˈbȯi-stə-rəs, -strəs\
Definition of BOISTEROUS for Kids
: being rough and noisy <a boisterous class>
— bois·ter·ous·ly adverb
Learn More About BOISTEROUS
Browse
ADVERTISEMENT
Seen & Heard
What made you want to look up boisterous? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).