boisterous

[boi-ster-uhs, -struhs]

See more synonyms for boisterous on Thesaurus.com

adjective

rough and noisy; noisily jolly or rowdy; clamorous; unrestrained: the sound of boisterous laughter.
(of waves, weather, wind, etc.) rough and stormy.
Obsolete. rough and massive.

Origin of boisterous

1425–75; late Middle English boistrous, variant of Middle English boistous crude, strong, fierce, gross; of obscure origin

Related formsbois·ter·ous·ly, adverbbois·ter·ous·ness, nounun·bois·ter·ous, adjectiveun·bois·ter·ous·ly, adverbun·bois·ter·ous·ness, noun

Synonyms for boisterous

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1. uproarious, obstreperous, roistering, loud, vociferous, impetuous. 1, 2. tempestuous, tumultuous, turbulent, violent, wild.

Antonyms for boisterous

1, 2. calm, serene.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for boisterous

uproarious, vociferous, rambunctious, rowdy, rollicking, raucous, unruly, clamorous, loud, strident, riotous, disorderly, effervescent, impetuous, obstreperous, unrestrained, wild, bouncy, vociferant

Examples from the Web for boisterous

Contemporary Examples of boisterous

This is not the boisterous version of Pacino, the one we saw as Tony Montana in Scarface or as Frank Slade in Scent of a Woman.
Al Pacino Does What He Wants to Do: 'The Humbling,' Scorsese, and That 'Scarface' Remake
Alex Suskind
September 9, 2014
Those who were part of the original Area scene remember a boisterous party.
Bright Lights, Big Club: Remembering the Crazy, Fabulous Nightclub Area
Ann Binlot
November 8, 2013
Prescriptivist grammarians will have a boisterous time reading Taipei.
The Gpistolary Novel: Tao Lin’s ‘Taipei’
Emily Witt
June 18, 2013
The Australian filmmaker Luhrmann, best known for the boisterous Bohemian musical Moulin Rouge!
The Great Gatsby, Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Is a Relentless Assault on the Senses
Marlow Stern
May 8, 2013
Convivial by nature, he not doubt joined in when others were celebrating, allowing his boisterous high spirits free rein.
What Mozart Really Looked Like: 14 Portraits of the Composer (Photos and Music)
The Daily Beast
February 9, 2013

Historical Examples of boisterous

The accent was gentle; and he feared no boisterous intrusion.
Imogen
William Godwin
The evening was boisterous—scarcely better than the previous night had been.
Barnaby Rudge
Charles Dickens
They are not talkative and boisterous as these are, but silent, sullen and revengeful.
Chronicles of Border Warfare
Alexander Scott Withers
Fanfulla eyed him, infected by the boisterous gladness of his mood.
Love-at-Arms
Raphael Sabatini
Nothing rude, boisterous, insubordinate, or unkind appeared from any.
The Prison Chaplaincy, And Its Experiences
Hosea Quinby

British Dictionary definitions for boisterous

boisterous

adjective

noisy and lively; unrestrained or unruly
(of the wind, sea, etc) turbulent or stormy

Derived Formsboisterously, adverbboisterousness, noun

Word Origin for boisterous

C13 boistuous, of unknown origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for boisterous

adj.

late 15c., unexplained alteration of Middle English boistous (c.1300) "rough, coarse (as of food), clumsy, violent," of unknown origin, perhaps from Anglo-French bustous "rough (road)," which is perhaps from Old French boisteos "curved, lame; uneven, rough" (Modern French boiteux), itself of obscure origin. Another guess traces it via Celtic to Latin bestia. Used of persons from 1560s. Related: Boisterously; boisterousness.