boisterous
Americanadjective
-
rough and noisy; noisily jolly or rowdy; clamorous; unrestrained.
the sound of boisterous laughter.
- Synonyms:
- wild, violent, turbulent, tumultuous, tempestuous, impetuous, vociferous, loud, obstreperous, uproarious
-
(of waves, weather, wind, etc.) rough and stormy.
- Synonyms:
- wild, violent, turbulent, tumultuous, tempestuous
-
Obsolete. rough and massive.
adjective
-
noisy and lively; unrestrained or unruly
-
(of the wind, sea, etc) turbulent or stormy
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of boisterous
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English boistrous, variant of Middle English boistous “crude, fierce, gross, strong”; of obscure origin; possibly from Old French boisteus “lame,” from boist(e) “box,” also “cavity containing an organ, cavity in a bone” (ultimately from Late Latin buxis; see box 1 ( def. )) + -eus -eous ( def. )
Explanation
Boisterous is a word used to describe someone spirited, loud, and slightly out of control — like someone with a spring in their step and a song in their heart singing to strangers on the street. Boisterous means "loud, clamorous, and unrestrained." Think of children on a playground or a lively party or a litter of puppies as boisterous. This word, which comes from Middle English, can also refer to very intense storms. You could call a hurricane boisterous, but you will most likely hear this word used to describe people.
Vocabulary lists containing boisterous
100 Top "SAT" Words
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"The Lottery," Vocabulary from the short story
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"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The United States take a huge step towards winning their World Cup group beating Australia 2-0 with a dominant, high-energy performance in front of a boisterous sellout crowd in Seattle.
From BBC • Jun. 19, 2026
A boisterous protest greeted fans arriving at SoFi stadium in Los Angeles, with demonstrators waving the pre-revolutionary flag detested by the leaders of the Islamic republic.
From Barron's • Jun. 16, 2026
A revival of “The Rocky Horror Show” that opened in April had to post signs reminding audiences not to treat the production like a boisterous midnight screening of the cult film adaptation.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026
So the only reasonable charge was violating the city ordinance against disturbing “the peace of others by violent, offensive or boisterous conduct or language,” but that was tacked on later, in February.
From Slate • May 4, 2026
A group of boys about our age are skipping rocks across the water, shouting and boisterous.
From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
