What does "loud" mean?
A loud sound or part of a sound.
Loud
/laʊd/ adj, adv, name, noun, slang
adj, adv, name, noun, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A loud sound or part of a sound.
- Grammar: loud is listed as adj, adv, name, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: garish, gaudy, aloud, aloud.
- Useful contrasts: calm, low, mild.
- Usage evidence: His stern tone and loud voice belied his inner sensitivity and caring nature.
How to use "loud"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "loud" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "loud" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "loud" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "loud" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "loud" is acting as adj, adv, name, noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "garish" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "loud", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A loud sound or part of a sound. colloquial, countable, uncountable
"The expander doesn't really make the louds louder and the softs softer in one step […]"
- 2 High-quality marijuana. slang, uncountable
Adjective
- 1 Of great intensity.
"Turn that music down; it's too loud."
- 2 Noisy. usually
"a loud party that went on all night"
- 3 Not subtle or reserved, brash. usually
"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."
- 4 Having unpleasantly and tastelessly contrasting colours or patterns; gaudy. usually
"a loud style of dress; loud colors"
- 5 High-quality; premium; (by extension) having a strong or pungent odour indicating good quality. slang
Adjective
- 1 characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity wordnet
- 2 (used chiefly as a direction or description in music) indicating that said piece or segment should be played loudly wordnet
- 3 tastelessly showy wordnet
Adverb
- 1 Loudly.
"Who knocks so loud at door?"
Adverb
- 1 with relatively high volume wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname. countable
- 2 A surname.; Clipping of McLoud: A surname from Scottish Gaelic. abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, countable, uncountable
- 3 A surname.; Clipping of McLoud: A surname from Scottish Gaelic.; Alternative form of McLeod, McLouth. alt-of, alternative, countable, uncountable
- 4 A placename; Ellipsis of River Loud. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable
- 5 A placename; Ellipsis of Loud Township. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable
Antonyms
Example
"His stern tone and loud voice belied his inner sensitivity and caring nature."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "loud"?
Common synonyms include: garish, gaudy, aloud, aloud, ample, attention grabbing colors.
How do you use "loud" in a sentence?
His stern tone and loud voice belied his inner sensitivity and caring nature.
How do you pronounce "loud"?
Pronounced /laʊd/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
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, 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”).
Etymology 2
From Middle English loude, from Old English hlūde (“loudly”), from Proto-Germanic *hlūda, *hlūdô (“loudly”), related to Etymology 1.
Etymology 3
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.