adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of raucous
1760–70; < Latin raucus hoarse, harsh, rough; see -ous
Compare meaning
How does raucous compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Raucous means unpleasantly loud, or behaving in a noisy and disorderly way. It can be hard to give an oral report in the front of a classroom when the kids in the back are being raucous. Raucous is often used to refer to loud laughter, loud voices, or a loud party, all of which can be harsh or unpleasant. Near synonyms are strident and rowdy. This adjective is from Latin raucus "hoarse." Think of raucous as people whose hoarseness can't come on too soon.
Vocabulary lists containing raucous
A Raisin in the Sun
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The Book Thief
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Restart
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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.
Mockingbird’s archives are on display at the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles, depicting a raucous era of music and defiance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026
Having recently moved to Edinburgh, he assumed that someone had helped themselves during a fairly raucous flat-warming party.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
Trying to impress the announced crowd of 75,500, which was as raucous as Riley remembered hearing in his four-plus seasons in L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
The idea for the payments came after a raucous public meeting last year, where angry locals asked what they had to gain by supporting the data center, said Brent Miles, chief marketing officer at NorthPoint.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
Outside Goetz’s apartment building, on the evening of the verdict, there was a raucous, impromptu street party.
From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
