loud
Americanadjective
-
(of sound) strongly audible; having exceptional volume or intensity.
loud talking;
loud thunder;
loud whispers.
- Synonyms:
- stentorian, resounding, earsplitting
- Antonyms:
- quiet
-
making, emitting, or uttering strongly audible sounds.
a quartet of loud trombones.
-
clamorous, vociferous, or blatant; noisy.
a loud party;
a loud demonstration.
-
emphatic or insistent.
to be loud in one's praises;
a loud denial.
-
garish, conspicuous, or ostentatious, as colors, dress, or the wearer of garish dress.
loud ties;
a loud dresser.
-
obtrusively vulgar, as manners or persons.
-
strong or offensive in smell.
adverb
idioms
adjective
-
(of sound) relatively great in volume
a loud shout
-
making or able to make sounds of relatively great volume
a loud voice
-
clamorous, insistent, and emphatic
loud protests
-
(of colours, designs, etc) offensive or obtrusive to look at
-
characterized by noisy, vulgar, and offensive behaviour
adverb
-
in a loud manner
-
audibly, as distinct from silently
Related Words
Loud, noisy describe a strongly audible sound or sounds. Loud means characterized by a full, powerful sound or sounds, which make a strong impression on the organs of hearing: a loud voice, laugh, report. Noisy refers to a series of sounds, and suggests clamor and discordance, or persistence in making loud sounds that are disturbing and annoying: a noisy crowd.
Other Word Forms
- loudly adverb
- loudness noun
- overloud adjective
- overloudly adverb
- unloudly adjective
Etymology
Origin of loud
First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English hlūd; cognate with Old Frisian, Old Saxon hlūd ( Dutch luid ), Old High German hlūt ( German laut ); akin to Greek klytós “famous”
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.
Arsenal travelled to Sporting after back-to-back losses for the first time this season - and the pressure and noise about Mikel Arteta's side being "nearly men" was loud before the game in Lisbon.
From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026
“As he approached he heard a loud ‘thud,’” prosecutors said in a written statement.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026
“Hag” is a promising showcase for all involved, teeming with great ideas, splashy kills, loud laughs and a just-dreamlike-enough atmosphere to push my affection beyond irony.
From Salon • Apr. 5, 2026
ALICE, Texas—A man in a cowboy hat and boots entered the dance hall and drew loud cheers as he began to sing.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026
Her eyes are filled with the thousand questions she can’t ask out loud.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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.
