boisterous

[ boi-ster-uhs, -struhs ]
See synonyms for: boisterousboisterouslyboisterousness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. rough and noisy; noisily jolly or rowdy; clamorous; unrestrained: the sound of boisterous laughter.

  2. (of waves, weather, wind, etc.) rough and stormy.

  1. Obsolete. rough and massive.

Origin of boisterous

1
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 box1 ) + -eus -eous

Other words for boisterous

Opposites for boisterous

Other words from boisterous

  • bois·ter·ous·ly, adverb
  • bois·ter·ous·ness, noun
  • un·bois·ter·ous, adjective
  • un·bois·ter·ous·ly, adverb
  • un·bois·ter·ous·ness, noun

Words Nearby boisterous

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How to use boisterous in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for boisterous

boisterous

/ (ˈbɔɪstərəs, -strəs) /


adjective
  1. noisy and lively; unrestrained or unruly

  2. (of the wind, sea, etc) turbulent or stormy

Origin of boisterous

1
C13 boistuous, of unknown origin

Derived forms of boisterous

  • boisterously, adverb
  • boisterousness, noun

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