Adjectives for Loud: Sounds, Voices, People and Colours
The most useful adjectives for loud are noisy, blaring, booming, deafening, ear-splitting, thunderous, piercing, shrill and raucous. Pick by two things: how loud the sound is, and what kind of loud it is. A booming voice is deep, a shrill one is high, a blaring radio is harsh and steady, and a deafening explosion is loud enough to hurt.
“Loud” also has meanings that have nothing to do with sound: loud colours, a loud shirt, a loud person. Those get their own sections below.
Quick picker
| You want to say… | Try |
|---|---|
| loud and unpleasant | blaring, raucous, grating, strident, cacophonous |
| loud and deep | booming, thunderous, rumbling, resounding, sonorous |
| loud and high | shrill, piercing, screeching, ear-piercing |
| loud enough to hurt | deafening, ear-splitting, head-splitting |
| loud and cheerful (people) | boisterous, rowdy, exuberant, hearty |
| loud and angry (people) | clamorous, vociferous, strident |
| a loud voice that carries | stentorian, booming, carrying, projecting |
| loud clothes or colours | garish, gaudy, flashy, lurid, bold |
| a loud person (personality) | brash, loudmouthed, outspoken, in-your-face |
From a little loud to painfully loud
These words sit roughly in order of volume. The first column is for sounds that are simply easy to hear; the last is for sounds that hurt.
| Fairly loud | Very loud | Extremely loud | Painfully loud |
|---|---|---|---|
| noisy | blaring | thunderous | deafening |
| clearly audible | booming | roaring | ear-splitting |
| carrying | resounding | tumultuous | ear-shattering |
| raised (a raised voice) | piercing | stentorian | head-splitting |
Two words that often appear in lists like this but do not mean loud: quiet, soft, muted, subdued are the opposites (see adjectives for quiet), and audible only means “able to be heard”. A barely audible whisper is very quiet.
Loud sounds by type
Harsh and unpleasant
| Adjective | What it adds | Example |
|---|---|---|
| blaring | loud, harsh and continuous, usually from a machine | A car alarm was blaring at three in the morning. |
| raucous | loud, rough and disorderly | We could hear raucous laughter from the bar. |
| grating | harsh in a way that irritates | He has a grating voice on the phone. |
| strident | loud, harsh and insistent | The strident horn of the ferry made us jump. |
| cacophonous | many clashing sounds at once | The cacophonous market went quiet only at dusk. |
| jarring | sudden and unpleasant | A jarring crash came from the kitchen. |
| clattering | loud from hard objects hitting each other | The clattering trays woke the patients. |
Deep and powerful
| Adjective | What it adds | Example |
|---|---|---|
| booming | deep, loud and resonant | The coach has a booming voice. |
| thunderous | very loud, rolling, like thunder | The band left the stage to thunderous applause. |
| rumbling | low and continuous | A rumbling lorry shook the windows. |
| roaring | loud, deep and sustained | We sat by a roaring fire. |
| resounding | loud enough to echo | The door shut with a resounding bang. |
| sonorous | deep, full and rich (often admiring) | The narrator’s sonorous voice suits the film. |
Roaring fire and resounding success are fixed phrases: a roaring fire burns strongly (it need not be loud), and a resounding success or defeat is a clear and complete one.
High and sharp
| Adjective | What it adds | Example |
|---|---|---|
| shrill | high and unpleasant | The kettle gave a shrill whistle. |
| piercing | high and sharp, seems to cut through you | A piercing scream came from the woods. |
| screeching | high, harsh and grinding | The bus stopped with screeching brakes. |
| squealing | high and long, often from tyres, pigs or children | Squealing tyres turned every head. |
| ear-piercing | so high and loud it hurts | The smoke alarm is ear-piercing. |
Loud enough to hurt
Deafening and ear-splitting are the usual words for sounds that are almost too loud to bear. People use them for concerts, explosions and crowds without meaning anyone actually lost their hearing. Ear-splitting is also written earsplitting; the hyphen is more common in British English.
- The music in the club was deafening; we had to shout.
- The drill next door is ear-splitting.
- A deafening silence is the opposite: a silence so heavy it is noticed, for example after an awkward question.
Adjectives for loud people and crowds
| Adjective | Tone | Example |
|---|---|---|
| boisterous | noisy and full of energy, usually friendly | A boisterous group of students got on the train. |
| rowdy | noisy and a little out of control | The neighbours complained about the rowdy party. |
| rambunctious | noisy and lively (US, often children) | Two rambunctious puppies chased each other round the garden. |
| exuberant | loud with joy | The fans were exuberant after the win. |
| hearty | loud and warm (laughter, greetings) | He gave a hearty laugh. |
| vociferous | loud and forceful in protest or opinion | The plan met vociferous opposition. |
| clamorous | loudly demanding something | A clamorous crowd gathered at the gates. |
| stentorian | a very loud, carrying voice (formal) | The sergeant gave orders in a stentorian voice. |
For the voice itself, there is a longer list in adjectives for voice.
Loud colours and clothes
A loud shirt or a loud pattern is bright and attention-seeking. The adjectives for this meaning are about sight, not sound:
| Adjective | Tone | Example |
|---|---|---|
| bold | neutral to positive | She likes bold prints. |
| bright, vivid | neutral | The kitchen is painted a vivid yellow. |
| flashy | slightly critical, showing off | He arrived in a flashy suit. |
| garish | critical, unpleasantly bright | The hotel had garish carpets. |
| gaudy | critical, cheap and showy | Gaudy plastic jewellery filled the stall. |
| lurid | critical, unnaturally bright | The cocktail was a lurid green. |
| loud | usually critical | That tie is a bit loud for a funeral. |
For more on describing garments, see adjectives for clothes.
A loud personality
When people call someone “loud” they often mean the person talks a lot, interrupts or wants attention. Choose a word that matches how you feel about it:
- Kind: outgoing, lively, larger-than-life, bubbly, gregarious
- Neutral: talkative, vocal, outspoken, extroverted
- Critical: brash, loudmouthed, overbearing, in-your-face, obnoxious
“She’s very vocal about the plan” means she says what she thinks, often and openly. “She’s brash” means she is loud and too confident. More words for character are in adjectives for personality.
Which loud word goes with which noun
English pairs some of these adjectives with particular nouns. The natural pairs sound right; swaps often sound odd.
| Noun | Natural adjectives |
|---|---|
| applause | thunderous, rapturous, deafening |
| voice | booming, loud, raised, shrill, stentorian, carrying |
| music, TV, radio | blaring, booming, deafening |
| laughter | loud, raucous, hearty, uproarious |
| scream | piercing, blood-curdling, shrill |
| bang, crash | loud, resounding, deafening |
| engine, traffic | roaring, rumbling, noisy |
| crowd, party | noisy, rowdy, boisterous |
| alarm, siren | blaring, wailing, ear-piercing |
Loud or noisy?
Loud describes the sound itself: a loud bang, loud music, a loud voice. Noisy describes the person, place or thing that makes a lot of noise: a noisy street, noisy neighbours, a noisy fridge. You can say “the street is noisy” or “the traffic is loud”, but “a noisy bang” sounds wrong, and “a loud street” is less natural than “a noisy street”.
For words that describe the noise itself (humming, crackling, whirring), see adjectives for noise, and for sounds in general, adjectives for sounds.
Describing loud things by source
| Source | Adjectives | Example |
|---|---|---|
| storms and weather | thunderous, howling, crashing, roaring | A howling wind kept us awake all night. |
| the sea | crashing, pounding, roaring, thundering | We fell asleep to the pounding surf. |
| cities and traffic | noisy, busy, honking, roaring, relentless | The flat overlooks a noisy junction with relentless traffic. |
| machines and tools | whining, grinding, clanking, droning, blaring | A whining drill started up next door. |
| sport and stadiums | roaring, deafening, electric, raucous | The stadium was deafening when the goal went in. |
| animals | barking, howling, shrieking, braying, squawking | A braying donkey greeted us at the farm. |
| music | pounding, thumping, blaring, booming | Thumping bass came through the wall. |
Many of these are -ing forms of sound verbs (howl, pound, clank). That is a useful trick: if you know the verb for a sound, the -ing form usually works as its adjective. For storm sounds in more depth, see adjectives for thunder.
Everyday phrases with loud
| Phrase | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| loud and clear | easy to hear or understand | “Can you hear me?” “Loud and clear.“ |
| at the top of your voice / lungs | as loudly as you can | She sang at the top of her voice. |
| out loud | so that others can hear, not silently | Read the question out loud. |
| for crying out loud | an exclamation of annoyance (informal) | For crying out loud, shut the door! |
| actions speak louder than words | what you do matters more than what you say | He keeps promising; actions speak louder than words. |
| turn it up / turn it down | make it louder / quieter | Could you turn the TV down a bit? |
Mistakes to avoid
- Calling “loud” wrong. “The music was loud” is perfectly good English. A stronger word is only better when it is also truer.
- Using quiet words as loud ones. Soft, muted and subdued mean the opposite of loud; audible only means it can be heard.
- Doubling up. “The thunder was very thunderous” says the same thing twice. Write “The thunder was deafening” or just “The thunder was very loud.”
- Mixing pitch words. Booming and rumbling are low; shrill and piercing are high. “A shrill rumble” contradicts itself.
- Overusing deafening. If everything is deafening, nothing is. Save it for the loudest sound in the scene.
- “Loudly” for the adjective. “The music was loudly” is wrong; use the adjective after be: “The music was loud.” Use loudly or loud after an action verb: “Don’t talk so loudly” or, informally, “Don’t talk so loud.”
Using loud words in writing
A single precise adjective, plus the effect on someone, does more than a pile of adjectives:
- Flat: The music was very, very loud.
- Better: The music was so loud the glasses on the bar shook.
- Flat: He had a loud, noisy, booming voice.
- Better: His booming voice reached the back row without a microphone.
Verbs carry loudness too: blare, boom, roar, thunder, bellow, shriek, clatter, crash. “The radio blared” is often stronger than “the radio was blaring and loud”.
Practice
Choose the best word from: shrill, thunderous, blaring, rowdy, garish, booming, deafening, vociferous.
- The audience gave the orchestra ______ applause.
- A ______ car stereo woke the whole street.
- The old kettle lets out a ______ whistle when it boils.
- The fireworks were so ______ that the dog hid under the bed.
- The ______ teenagers at the back of the bus were asked to leave.
- The new logo is a ______ mix of orange and purple.
- The announcer has a deep, ______ voice.
- Residents were ______ in their opposition to the new airport.
Answers
- thunderous
- blaring
- shrill
- deafening
- rowdy
- garish
- booming
- vociferous
Rewrite with one better adjective: “The baby’s cry was loud and high.” Suggested: “The baby’s cry was piercing.”
Quick answers
What is a stronger word for loud?
Deafening, ear-splitting, thunderous and booming are all stronger than loud. Deafening and ear-splitting stress that the sound almost hurts; thunderous and booming stress that it is deep and powerful.
What is a fancy word for loud?
Stentorian (for a voice), vociferous (for protest or opinion), cacophonous (for clashing noise) and sonorous (for a deep, rich sound) are formal choices.
What is the opposite of loud?
Quiet, soft, hushed, muted and faint for sound; subdued, muted and understated for colours and clothes; reserved and quiet for people.
Is “loud” an adjective or an adverb?
Mostly an adjective (“a loud noise”). It is also used informally as an adverb (“Say it loud”, “loud and clear”); in careful writing, loudly is the usual adverb.
For the grammar behind all of these words, start with what is an adjective; for words for hearing, taste and touch together, see sensory words.
Checked against Merriam-Webster, the Chicago Manual of Style and the AP Stylebook. Spotted an error? Tell us — see our editorial policy.
