vociferous
Americanadjective
-
crying out noisily; clamorous.
- Synonyms:
- boisterous, uproarious, vocal, noisy, loud
-
characterized by or uttered with noisy or vehement outcry.
vociferous protests.
adjective
-
characterized by vehemence, clamour, or noisiness
vociferous protests
-
making an outcry or loud noises; clamorous
a vociferous mob
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of vociferous
First recorded in 1605–15; vocifer(ant) + -ous
Explanation
Vociferous describes loudmouths, such as the vociferous mob at the soccer game. Vociferous is from the Latin vociferari, meaning "to shout, yell." If you break it down to the first part, take vox, meaning "voice" and add it to ferre, meaning "to carry," then vociferous describes voices that carry; you can hear a vociferous person from across the room at a dance party. Vociferous isn't just loud, but annoying, too, like when the vociferous fans of the opposing team chant insults in unison. Try yanking a cookie out of a little kid's hand if you want to hear a vociferous reaction.
Vocabulary lists containing vociferous
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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Latin Love, Vol I: vocare
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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.
“Because Karoline’s boss is so vociferous, she is vociferous,” Ari Fleischer, the press secretary under Republican George W. Bush, observed after her first year.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026
Orcel succeeded despite vociferous opposition from the German government and Commerzbank.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Both players looked to be tiring in a physical encounter, but Raducanu - backed by a vociferous home crowd - dug deep to force a tie-break.
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026
The Swiss completed his final Roland Garros on Monday, losing 6-3 3-6 6-3 6-4 to Jesper De Jong in front of a packed, vociferous crowd on a beautiful Parisian afternoon.
From BBC ● May 25, 2026
I watch from across the menagerie as August’s mouth opens in shock, then outrage, and then vociferous complaint.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
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.
