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.
Having recently moved to Edinburgh, he assumed that someone had helped themselves during a fairly raucous flat-warming party.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
And while his teammates could be distracted by raucous crowds and heckling fans, Pride heard nothing but silence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
They tend to avoid the DSA’s internal politicking, but are reputed to throw its most raucous parties.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
Still others remember the raucous meetings at which its fate was debated.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Enormous buildings stretched to the sky in the distance while raucous traffic whizzed through Greenwich Village streets.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
