January 01, 2013
- raucous (adjective)
- \RAW-kus\
- What does it mean?
- 1 : being harsh and unpleasant2 : behaving in a rough and noisy way
- How do you use it?
- The announcer's message could not be heard over the shouting and laughter of the raucous crowd.
- Are you a word wiz?
Shout out the answer if you know it. Which of these words do you think is a synonym of "raucous"?
Make some noise if you chose C! "Raucous" and "strident," along with "stentorian" and "earsplitting," all suggest being loud. "Raucous" implies a loud, harsh, grating tone that carries a feeling of rowdiness (such as "the raucous shouts of the protesters"). "Strident" suggests a quarrelsome quality of the voice that demands attention (for instance, "the strident voices of hecklers"). "Stentorian" calls to mind great power and range (as "an actor with a stentorian voice"). And "earsplitting" describes loudness that is physically discomforting (such as "the earsplitting sound of a siren").
