Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective raucous contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of raucous are earsplitting, loud, stentorian, and strident. While all these words mean "marked by intensity or volume of sound," raucous implies a loud harsh grating tone, especially of voice, and may suggest rowdiness.

the raucous shouts of drunken revelers

When is it sensible to use earsplitting instead of raucous?

The meanings of earsplitting and raucous largely overlap; however, earsplitting implies loudness that is physically discomforting.

the earsplitting sound of a siren

Where would loud be a reasonable alternative to raucous?

The words loud and raucous are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, loud applies to any volume above normal and may suggest undue vehemence or obtrusiveness.

loud shouts of protest

When is stentorian a more appropriate choice than raucous?

The words stentorian and raucous can be used in similar contexts, but stentorian implies great power and range.

an actor with a stentorian voice

When might strident be a better fit than raucous?

In some situations, the words strident and raucous are roughly equivalent. However, strident implies a rasping discordant but insistent quality, especially of voice.

the strident voices of hecklers

Examples Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of raucous But no matter the result of Tuesday's race, the former president is near the end of a phenomenon that has fueled his political career and left a mark on American elections: His raucous campaign rallies. David Jackson, USA TODAY, 4 Nov. 2024 When approached for comment in a raucous postgame locker room, Reed leaned into the recorder and kept it short and sweet. Michael-Shawn Dugar, The Athletic, 24 Nov. 2024 Greene's time in the House has been marked by several controversies -- including her involvement in a raucous House Oversight Committee meeting that included name calling and her plot to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson from the job earlier this year. Sarah Beth Hensley, ABC News, 22 Nov. 2024 Members of Santana sat in for a raucous Turn on Your Love Light, and the performance of Morning Dew, featuring a rare instance of Jerry Garcia in a mustache, is on YouTube. Andrew Keatts, Axios, 22 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for raucous 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for raucous
Adjective
  • Bottle pee–er Dwayne Johnson, who voices the boisterous South Pacific super-human Maui in Moana 2, logged two movies in the top five over the weekend; his Amazon MGM Christmas-on-creatine action flick, Red One, came in a distant fourth with $18.7 million in North American receipts.
    Chris Lee, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2024
  • Recognized for his distinctive wolf costume and boisterous social media antics, Babudar rose to fame as one of Kansas City’s most fervent fans.
    Denise Petski, Deadline, 27 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • This isn’t the first rowdy revelation Bush Hager has shared on the morning show recently.
    Rachel McRady, People.com, 9 Dec. 2024
  • Tellingly, in the upper right-hand corner, Ruscha added a cheap Western cowboy magazine, its rowdy narrative of American manifest destiny having been torn in two.
    Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Zoë is devoted to the family dog, Cece, a rambunctious mutt and a licker.
    Julia Whelan Krish Seenivasan Lance Neal, New York Times, 25 Nov. 2024
  • Yoon captures the comedy as a little girl focuses all of her attention on picking up pine cones while in the background chaos, her dad struggles to control a rambunctious, muddy dog.
    Lorraine Berry, Los Angeles Times, 25 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • Stroll corridors filled with lively conversation; hear and see in faithful detail what transpired almost three centuries ago.
    Weike Wang, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
  • Guests arrived to glasses of chilled champagne, fond embraces, and the buzz of lively conversation.
    Sasha Pinto, Vogue, 9 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Joy’s jazzy, smoky version of the Marvin Gaye classic, coupled with her velvety vocals, sparked another rollicking ovation led by John who was the first to stand up.
    Gail Mitchell, Billboard, 4 Feb. 2023
  • His setlist, a rollicking walk-down-memory-lane of solo hits, NKOTB favorites, standards, show tunes and cover songs, showcased his range as an entertainer, musical virtuoso and keen collaborator.
    Sonal Dutt, Peoplemag, 23 Jan. 2023
Adjective
  • In today’s noisy landscape, initial efforts to get a fledgling client noticed may fall short.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024
  • Positive energy Bears wide receiver DJ Moore looked around a noisy Friday afternoon locker room when asked how the team has handled the recent coaching changes.
    Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 6 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Prosecutors also said that some of the violent pornography Heuermann owned included methods consistent with the injuries to Mack's body and how she was bound with ropes.
    Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 17 Dec. 2024
  • After a violent campaign in which Buddhists killed a number of priests and destroyed churches, in 1909, locals built the church that Galipeau visited in Cizhong.
    Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 17 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • The movie is both exquisite and rumbustious, stylized and energized.
    Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 5 May 2022
  • From 1657, when tea first became available in London’s coffeehouses, to the early seventeen-hundreds, when women were invited in, recreational tea drinking was the preserve of rumbustious gentlemen.
    David Kortava, The New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2021

Thesaurus Entries Near raucous

Cite this Entry

“Raucous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/raucous. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

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