Noisy

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈnɔɪzi/

Definitions

1. Producing or characterized by loud, disruptive, or unwanted sounds that disturb peace and quiet
2. Creating sounds that are loud, disturbing, or unwanted, interfering with serenity and often causing annoyance to listeners
3. Emitting a high level of sound that can interrupt quiet or cause disturbance

Etymology: "Noisy" is a plain formation: the noun "noise" with the suffix "-y", which turns a noun into an adjective meaning "full of" or "characterised by" the thing named. So a noisy room is one full of noise, much as a windy day is full of wind. The suffix itself has a long pedigree in English, descending from Old English "-ig" through Middle English "-y", and it has been attached to countless nouns over the centuries, from "hairy" to "chilly." The noun "noise" is the more interesting half. It came into English from Old French "noise", meaning a quarrel or outcry, and that French word is thought to derive from Latin "nausea", a term for seasickness, which the Latin itself borrowed from Greek. The journey from seasickness to clamour is one of the less expected turns in English vocabulary, though the connecting idea of a disturbing, unpleasant sound is easy to follow.

Synonyms: loud, boisterous, clamorous, racket, rowdy

Antonyms: quiet, silent, calm, peaceful, subdued