vociferous

adjective

vo·​cif·​er·​ous vō-ˈsi-f(ə-)rəs 

: marked by or given to vehement insistent outcry

vociferously adverb

vociferousness noun

Did you know?

Hear ye! Hear ye! To vociferate is "to cry out loudly" so it’s perhaps unsurprising that the adjective vociferous is used to describe those who are loud and proud, who show their support or displeasure for something or someone by hootin' and hollerin'. Both vociferate and vociferous come from the Latin vociferari, a combining of vox, meaning "voice," with ferre, meaning "to carry." In addition to describing loud and insistent individuals and groups—critics, crowds, fans, et al.—vociferous can be used for anything characterized by loud insistence, as in "vociferous complaints," "a vociferous defense," and "vociferous support."

Synonyms

• blatant
• caterwauling
• clamant
• clamorous
• obstreperous
• squawking
• vociferant
• vociferating
• yawping
• yauping
• yowling

Choose the Right Synonym for vociferous

vociferous, clamorous, blatant, strident, boisterous, obstreperous mean so loud or insistent as to compel attention.

vociferous implies a vehement shouting or calling out.

vociferous cries of protest and outrage

clamorous may imply insistency as well as vociferousness in demanding or protesting.

clamorous demands for prison reforms

blatant implies an offensive bellowing or insensitive loudness.

blatant rock music

a blatant clamor for impeachment

strident suggests harsh and discordant noise.

heard the strident cry of the crow

boisterous suggests a noisiness and turbulence due to high spirits.

a boisterous crowd of party goers

obstreperous suggests unruly and aggressive noisiness and resistance to restraint.

the obstreperous demonstrators were arrested

Examples of vociferous in a Sentence

He is her most vociferous critic.

He was vociferous in his support of the proposal.

The decision was made over their vociferous objections.

Recent Examples on the Web

And the tiny town of Dalton, Georgia, home of the largest solar panel manufacturing plant in the western hemisphere and source of about 2,000 jobs, is in the district represented by Marjorie Taylor Greene, a vociferous climate-change skeptic who has nonetheless cheered the factory. —Bob Woods, CNBC, 12 Jan. 2025

The fans, some of the most vociferous in the world, were in open rebellion. —James Horncastle, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025

But the vociferous opposition to his nomination actually changed his mind. —Joseph Thorndike, Forbes, 15 Dec. 2024

The two leaders, both vociferous critics of each other, met on the tarmac at LAX around 3 p.m. Friday as Trump touched down to survey the catastrophic damage caused by the spate of wildfires in Southern California this year. —Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Orange County Register, 24 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1700, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for vociferous

• auriferous
• calciferous
• coniferous
• pestiferous
• argentiferous
• carboniferous
• fossiliferous
• manganiferous
• metalliferous
• odoriferous
• seminiferous
• titaniferous

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Kids Definition

vociferous

adjective

vo·​cif·​er·​ous vō-ˈsif-(ə-)rəs 

: making a loud outcry : noisy, clamorous

vociferously adverb