Meanings
loud1
comparative louder · superlative loudest · alternative obsolete lowd
- Of great intensity.
Turn that music down; it's too loud.
2 more examples
What was that? It sounded like a really loud sneeze.
Mr. Cooke at once began a tirade against the residents of Asquith for permitting a sandy and generally disgraceful condition of the roads. So roundly did he vituperate the inn management in particular, and with such a loud flow of words, that I trembled lest he should be heard on the veranda.
1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter IV, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC - usuallything; event; thing; eventNoisy.
a loud party that went on all night
1 more example
She is loud and stubborn.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Proverbs vii:11 - usuallyeventNot subtle or reserved, brash.
Many people, or at least a handful of very loud people, hate to being dubbed Millennial. They see it as derogatory.
2015 August 24, Samantha Sharf, “What is a ‘Millennial’ Anyway? Meet the Man who Coined the Phrase”, in Forbes, New York, N.Y.: Forbes, Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 29 Sep 20231 more example
Some of the loudest blubberers are developers who, having made enormous profits as a result of local, state, and federal subsidies, complain that government doesn't do enough for them.
1988 December 9, Ben Joravsky, “Property-tax assessments rise; north siders are revolting”, in Chicago Reader, archived from the original on 24 Oct 2020 - usuallydecorationsHaving unpleasantly and tastelessly contrasting colours or patterns; gaudy.
a loud style of dress; loud colors
1 more example
In comparison with the loud Portrait of E.C. Ricart (ill. p. 13) two years earlier, Miró has captured a soft, hushed atmosphere here.
2006, Janis Mink, Joan Miró, →ISBN, page 22 - slangHigh-quality; premium; (by extension) having a strong or pungent odour indicating good quality.
- Of great intensity.
Ohls showed the motorcycle officer his badge and we went out on the pier, into a loud fish smell which one night's hard rain hadn't even dented.
1939, Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep, →ISBN, page 45
plural louds · alternative obsolete lowd
- colloquialcountableuncountableA loud sound or part of a sound.
The expander doesn't really make the louds louder and the softs softer in one step […]
2012, Sam McGuire, Paul Lee, The Video Editor's Guide to Soundtrack Pro, page 103 - slanguncountableHigh-quality marijuana.
loud2
comparative louder · superlative loudest · alternative obsolete lowd
- Loudly.
Who knocks so loud at door?
c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, […]. Epilogue.”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iv]2 more examples
Unluckily that worthy Officer having, in a literal Sense, taken his Fill of Liquor, had been some Time retired to his Bolster, where he was snoaring so loud, that it was not easy to convey a Noise in at his Ears capable of drowning that which issued from his Nostrils.
1749, Henry Fielding, chapter 14, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, book VII, pages 71-72Money still talks — indeed, thanks in part to the Roberts court, it talks louder than ever. Still, ideas matter too, shaping both how we talk about society and, eventually, what we do.
2014 April 25, Paul Krugman, “The Piketty Panic”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 04 Jul 2020
Loud3
plural Louds
- countableA surname.
- abbreviationclippingcountableuncountableClipping of McLoud: A surname from Scottish Gaelic.
- A placename
- abbreviationcountableellipsisuncountableEllipsis of River Loud.
- abbreviationcountableellipsisuncountableEllipsis of Loud Township.
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectivecharacterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
adjectivetastelessly showy
adjective(used chiefly as a direction or description in music) indicating that said piece or segment should be played loudly
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
loud · adjective, noun
- Proto-Indo-European*ḱel-
- Proto-Indo-European*ḱlew-
- Proto-Indo-European*ḱlutós
- Proto-Germanic*hlūdaz
- Proto-West Germanic*hlūd
- Old Englishhlūd
- Middle Englishloude, loud, lud
- Englishloud
From Middle English loude, loud, lud, from Old English hlūd (“loud, noisy, sounding, sonorous”), from Proto-West Germanic *hlūd, from Proto-Germanic *hlūdaz, *hlūþaz (“heard”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱlewtos (“heard, famous”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱlew- (“to hear”). More at listen. Cognates Akin to Scots loud, lowd (“loud”), Swedish ljud, Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk lyd, Faroese ljóð, Icelandic hljóð, West Frisian lûd (“loud”), Dutch luid (“loud”), Low German lud (“loud”), German laut (“loud”), Irish clú (“repute”), Welsh clywed (“heard”), clod (“praise”), Latin laudare (“praise”), Tocharian A/B klots/klautso 'ear', klyostär 'heard', Ancient Greek κλυτός (klutós, “famous”), Albanian quaj (“to name, call”), shquar (“famous, notorious”), Old Armenian լու (lu, “the act of hearing”), Old Church Slavonic слава (slava, “glory”), слово (slovo, “word”), Sanskrit श्रव (śráva, “glory”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →loud · adverb
- Proto-Indo-European*ḱel-
- Proto-Indo-European*ḱlew-
- Proto-Indo-European*ḱlutós
- Proto-Germanic*hlūdaz
- Proto-Germanic*hlūdê
- Proto-West Germanic*hlūdē
- Old Englishhlūde
- Middle Englishloude
- Englishloud
From Middle English loude, from Old English hlūde (“loudly”), from Proto-Germanic *hlūda, *hlūdô (“loudly”), related to Etymology 1.
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Loud · proper noun
As an English surname, * from the adjective loud, * from the place name Lyde, * and a spelling variant of Louth in Lincolnshire, itself related to the adjective, * and finally variants of the Irish surnames McLeod, McLouth.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans hard, hard
- hardnoisy
- hardof a sound
Ancient Greek μέγας, εὔφωνος
- μέγας (mégas)of a sound
- εὔφωνος (eúphōnos)of a sound
Arabic عَالٍ, اَلْعَالِي
- عَالٍ (ʕālin)noisy
- اَلْعَالِي (al-ʕālī)noisy
- صَخِب (ṣaḵib)noisy
- عَالٍ (ʕālin)of a sound
- اَلْعَالِي (al-ʕālī)of a sound
Bulgarian шумен, крещящ
- шумен (šumen)noisy
- крещящ (kreštjašt)of a colour, clothing, etc.
- гръ́мък (grắmăk)of a sound
Catalan estrident, sorollós
- estridentnoisy
- sorollósnoisy
- cridanerof a colour, clothing, etc.
- llampantof a colour, clothing, etc.
- fortof a sound
- altof a sound
Chinese Mandarin 大聲的 /大声的, 大聲的 /大声的
- 大聲的 /大声的 (dàshēng de)noisy
- 大聲的 /大声的 (dàshēng de)of a sound
Czech hlasitý, hlučný
- hlasitýnoisy
- hlučnýnoisy
- křiklavýof a colour, clothing, etc.
- hlasitýof a sound
Danish høj
- højof a sound
Dutch luidruchtig, luidruchtige
- luidruchtignoisy
- luidruchtigenoisy
- vloekendof a colour, clothing, etc.
- schreeuwerigof a colour, clothing, etc.
- felof a colour, clothing, etc.
- luidof a sound
- luideof a sound
- hardof a sound
- hardeof a sound
Esperanto brua, laŭta
- bruanoisy
- laŭtaof a sound
Estonian vali
- valiof a sound
Finnish äänekäs, kovaääninen
- äänekäsnoisy
- kovaääninennoisy
- räikeäof a colour, clothing, etc.
- äänekäsof a sound
- kovaof a sound
- lujaof a sound
- voimakasof a sound
- voimakkuinenof a sound
French bruyant, voyant
- bruyantnoisy
- voyantof a colour, clothing, etc.
- fortof a sound
German laut, grell
- lautnoisy
- grellof a colour, clothing, etc.
- lautof a sound
Greek θορυβώδης, βροντερός
- θορυβώδης (thoryvódis)noisy
- βροντερός (vronterós)noisy
- βροντώδης (vrontódis)noisy
- φανταχτερός (fantachterós)of a colour, clothing, etc.
- χτυπητός (chtypitós)of a colour, clothing, etc.
- κραυγαλέος (kravgaléos)of a colour, clothing, etc.
- ηχηρός (ichirós)of a sound
- δυνατός (dynatós)of a sound
Hebrew בְּקוֹל רָם
- בְּקוֹל רָםof a sound
Hindi ज़ोरदार
- ज़ोरदार (zordar)of a sound
Hungarian hangos, harsány
- hangosnoisy
- harsányof a colour, clothing, etc.
- hangosof a sound
- zajosof a sound
Icelandic hávær
- háværnoisy
Irish callánach, scéiniúil
- callánachnoisy
- scéiniúilof a colour, clothing, etc.
- gáifeachof a colour, clothing, etc.
- ardof a sound
- glórachof a sound
Italian rumoroso, forte
- rumorosonoisy
- forteof a sound
Japanese 煩い, 姦しい
- 煩い (urusai)noisy
- 姦しい (kashimashii)noisy
- 囂しい (kamabisushii)noisy
- 騒がしい (sawagashii)noisy
- 騒々しい (sōzōshii)noisy
- 騒然 (sōzen)noisy
- 喧しい (yakamashii)noisy
- 派手な (hade na)of a colour, clothing, etc.
- けばけばしい (kebakebashii)of a colour, clothing, etc.
- どぎつい (dogitsui)of a colour, clothing, etc.
- 毒々しい (dokudokushii)of a colour, clothing, etc.
- 音が大きい (oto ga ōkii)of a sound
Korean 시끄럽다, 시끄럽다
- 시끄럽다 (sikkeureopda)noisy
- 시끄럽다 (sikkeureopda)of a sound
Latin magnus
- magnusof a sound
Latvian skaļš, skanīgs
- skaļšof a sound
- skanīgsof a sound
Lithuanian rėksmingas, garsus
- rėksmingasof a colour, clothing, etc.
- garsusof a sound
Malay kuat, lantang
- kuatof a sound
- lantangof a sound
Māori hoihoi, turituri
- hoihoinoisy
- turiturinoisy
- mānianianoisy
- kurupākaranoisy
- haunenenoisy
- makekenonoisy
- tīhoihoinoisy
- tioriof a colour, clothing, etc.
- tīhoihoiof a sound
- tīweraweraof a sound
- rahiof a sound
- rarahiof a sound
Norwegian Bokmål høylytt, høy
- høylyttnoisy
- høyof a sound
- høylyttof a sound
Persian بلند
- بلند (boland)of a sound
Polish hałaśliwy, głośny
- hałaśliwynoisy
- głośnynoisy
- donośnynoisy
- krzykliwyof a colour, clothing, etc.
- głośnyof a sound
Portuguese barulhento, berrante
- barulhentonoisy
- berranteof a colour, clothing, etc.
- altoof a sound
Romanian gălăgios, zgomotos
- gălăgiosnoisy
- zgomotosnoisy
- tareof a sound
Russian гро́мкий, шу́мный
- гро́мкий (grómkij)noisy
- шу́мный (šúmnyj)noisy
- крича́щий (kričáščij)of a colour, clothing, etc.
- гро́мкий (grómkij)of a sound
Scottish Gaelic faramach, fuaimneach
- faramachnoisy
- fuaimneachnoisy
- faramachof a sound
- fuaimneachof a sound
Slovak hlasný
- hlasnýof a sound
Spanish ruidoso, estrepitoso
- ruidosonoisy
- estrepitosonoisy
- escandalosonoisy
- bulliciosonoisy
- estentóreonoisy
- chillónof a colour, clothing, etc.
- vistosoof a colour, clothing, etc.
- llamativoof a colour, clothing, etc.
- colorincheof a colour, clothing, etc.
- fuerteof a sound
- sonoroof a sound
- duroof a sound
Swahili -kubwa
- -kubwaof a sound
Swedish ljudlig, högljudd
- ljudlignoisy
- högljuddnoisy
- högof a sound
Thai ดัง
- ดัง (dang)of a sound
Turkish yüksek
- yüksekof a sound
Ukrainian шу́мний, гучни́й
- шу́мний (šúmnyj)noisy
- гучни́й (hučnýj)noisy
- голосни́й (holosnýj)of a sound
- гучни́й (hučnýj)of a sound
Urdu تیز, اُونچی
- تیز (tez)of a colour, clothing, etc.
- اُونچی (aūncī)of a sound
- تیز (tez)of a sound
- زیادہ (zyāda)of a sound
- زوردار (zordar)of a sound
Vietnamese ầm ĩ, to
- ầm ĩnoisy
- toof a sound
Welsh uchel
- uchelof a sound
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with loud
Anagrams
Cite this entry
loud. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/loud
“loud.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/loud. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “loud,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/loud.
Source: loud on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.