LOUD

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does loud mean? 

• LOUD (adjective)
  The adjective LOUD has 3 senses:

1. characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity

2. tastelessly showy

3. (used chiefly as a direction or description in music) loud; with force

  Familiarity information: LOUD used as an adjective is uncommon.

• LOUD (adverb)
  The adverb LOUD has 1 sense:

1. with relatively high volume

  Familiarity information: LOUD used as an adverb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• LOUD (adjective)

Comparative: louder   
Superlative: loudest   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity

Context example:

loud trombones

Similar:

big (loud and firm)

blaring; blasting (unpleasantly loud and penetrating)

clarion (loud and clear)

deafening; earsplitting; thunderous; thundery (loud enough to cause (temporary) hearing loss)

earthshaking (loud enough to shake the very earth)

harsh-voiced (having an unusually harsh sound)

loud-mouthed (given to loud offensive talk)

loud-voiced (having an unusually loud voice)

shattering (seemingly loud enough to break something; violently rattling or clattering)

shouted; yelled (in a vehement outcry)

trumpet-like (resembling the sound of a trumpet)

vocal (full of the sound of voices)

Also:

audible; hearable (heard or perceptible by the ear)

noisy (full of or characterized by loud and nonmusical sounds)

Attribute:

intensity; loudness; volume (the magnitude of sound (usually in a specified direction))

Antonym:

soft ((of sound) relatively low in volume)

Derivation:

loudness (the magnitude of sound (usually in a specified direction))

Sense 2

Meaning:

Tastelessly showy

Synonyms:

brassy; cheap; flash; flashy; garish; gaudy; gimcrack; loud; meretricious; tacky; tatty; tawdry; trashy

Context example:

tawdry ornaments

Similar:

tasteless (lacking aesthetic or social taste)

Derivation:

loudness (tasteless showiness)

Sense 3

Meaning:

(used chiefly as a direction or description in music) loud; with force

Synonyms:

forte; loud

Context example:

the forte passages in the composition

Similar:

fortemente ((chiefly a direction or description in music) loud and strong)

fortissimo ((chiefly a direction or description in music) very loud and strong)

Derivation:

loudness (the magnitude of sound (usually in a specified direction))

• LOUD (adverb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

With relatively high volume

Synonyms:

aloud; loud; loudly

Context example:

cried aloud for help

 Context examples 

In his ears the camp-sounds and cries were ringing loud.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

Injury to the hearing mechanisms within the inner ear, caused by excessively loud noise.

(Acoustic Trauma, NCI Thesaurus)

Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR) Please rate your level of sensitivity to loud noises, bright lights, odors and cold.

(FIQR - Sensitivity to Loud Noises, Bright Lights, Odors and Cold, NCI Thesaurus)

Some possibilities are: • Heredity • Diseases such as ear infections and meningitis • Trauma • Certain medicines • Long-term exposure to loud noise • Aging

(Hearing Disorders and Deafness, NIH: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders)

I think I was the loudest of the party, but I am sure we were all sincere about it.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Immediately they heard a loud, piteous cry.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

As the moments passed the yelps grew closer and louder.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

But sounds that are too loud or loud sounds over a long time are harmful.

(Noise, NIH: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders)

A loud response from Snodgrass, followed, to everybody's surprise, by a timid one from Beth.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

"Clever old dear, ain't he?" he whispered to me, and then louder to Challenger.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)