thunderous

T1H4U1N1D2E1R1O1U1S1
UK/ˈθʌn.də.ɹəs/Canada, US/ˈθʌn.dɚ.əs/Australia/ˈθan.də.ɹəs/

adjective

Very loud; that sounds like thunder; thundersome. Also in metaphorical expressions, signifying fury.

UncommonScrabble 14

Meanings

adjectivethunderous (comparative more thunderous, superlative most thunderous)

comparative more thunderous · superlative most thunderous

  1. Very loud; that sounds like thunder; thundersome. Also in metaphorical expressions, signifying fury.

    Mr Quelch, with a thunderous brow, marched on.

    1932, Frank Richards, “The Complete Outsider”, in The Magnet
    4 more examples

    But when the moon rose and the breeze awakened, and the sedges stirred, and the cat's-paws raced across the moonlit ponds, and the far surf off Wonder Head intoned the hymn of the four winds, the trinity, earth and sky and water, became one thunderous symphony—a harmony of sound and colour silvered to a monochrome by the moon.

    1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter VIII, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC

    He inflated his chest, twirled his moustache, and thumped the table with a revulsion to thunderous indignation.

    1930, Norman Lindsay, Redheap, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, →OCLC, page 85

    I remember the sudden drop in the note of the station bell, as we roar through, perhaps with 16 coaches; sweep up to milepost 9½, and then, with increasing thunder from the exhaust, fairly rush the fells at Milnthorpe at the foot of the climb to Grayrigg, until the steady thunderous beat re-echoes past Mosedale Hall, still at 40 m.p.h.

    1955 April, W. J. Alcock, “Unforgettable Moments”, in Railway Magazine, page 271

    After the hour mark, events in Manchester were almost becoming a distraction such was the thunderous cheer from the United fans to greet QPR taking their unlikely lead against City.

    2012 May 13, Alistair Magowan, “Sunderland 0-1 Man Utd”, in BBC Sport

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveloud enough to cause (temporary) hearing loss

adjectiveextremely ominous

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Englishthunder
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₃ed-
  3. Proto-Indo-European*h₃édosder.?
  4. Englishthunderous

From thunder + -ous.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian гърмящ, оглушителен
  • гърмящ (gărmjašt)very loud; suggestive of thunder
  • оглушителен (oglušitelen)very loud; suggestive of thunder
  • буреносен (burenosen)very loud; suggestive of thunder
Esperanto tondra
  • tondravery loud; suggestive of thunder
Finnish jyrisevä
  • jyrisevävery loud; suggestive of thunder
French tonitruant
  • tonitruantvery loud; suggestive of thunder
German donnernd
  • donnerndvery loud; suggestive of thunder
Italian tonitruante, tonante
  • tonitruantevery loud; suggestive of thunder
  • tonantevery loud; suggestive of thunder
Korean 우레 같은
  • 우레 같은 (ure gateun)very loud; suggestive of thunder
Latin tonitrālis
  • tonitrālisvery loud; suggestive of thunder
Russian громовой, оглушительный
  • громовой (gromovoj)very loud; suggestive of thunder
  • оглушительный (oglušitelʹnyj)very loud; suggestive of thunder
  • грозовой (grozovoj)very loud; suggestive of thunder
  • предвещающий грозу (predveščajuščij grozu)very loud; suggestive of thunder
Spanish tonante, tronitoso
  • tonantevery loud; suggestive of thunder
  • tronitosovery loud; suggestive of thunder
  • atronadorvery loud; suggestive of thunder
  • atronantevery loud; suggestive of thunder
  • tonitronantevery loud; suggestive of thunder
  • tronitronantevery loud; suggestive of thunder
  • tonitruantevery loud; suggestive of thunder
  • estruendosovery loud; suggestive of thunder
Cite this entry
APA

thunderous. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thunderous

MLA

“thunderous.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thunderous. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “thunderous,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thunderous.

Source: thunderous on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.