Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Full of or characterized by loud and nonmusical sounds: Describes a person, place, or thing that makes or is filled with a lot of loud, often unpleasant, sound.
   • Attracting attention by showiness or bright colors: Describes something, especially clothing or decoration, that is visually loud, garish, or excessively bright.

Examples of Usage

• Describing sound:

  • The construction site next door is very noisy.
  • It's hard to study in a noisy library.
  • The engine became noisy and needed repair.

• Describing appearance:

  • He wore a noisy tie covered in bright pink polka dots.
  • The artist's early work is considered too noisy for modern tastes.

Advanced Usage

• "To be noisy about something": to complain or talk loudly and publicly about an issue.
  • The residents were noisy about the planned highway construction.
• "Noisy data" (Technical/Scientific): data that contains a significant amount of irrelevant or meaningless information, making patterns hard to detect.
  • The signal was lost in the noisy data from the experiment.

Variants and Related Words

• Noisily (adverb): in a noisy manner.
  • The children ran noisily down the hallway.
• Noisiness (noun): the quality or state of being noisy.
  • The noisiness of the city was overwhelming at first.

Synonyms

• Loud: producing or capable of producing much sound.
• Raucous: making a disturbingly harsh and loud noise.
• Boisterous: noisy, energetic, and cheerful; rowdy.
• Cacophonous: involving or producing a harsh, discordant mixture of sounds.
• Garish (for visual sense): obtrusively bright and showy; lurid.

Antonyms

• Quiet: making little or no noise.
• Silent: completely quiet; without sound.
• Peaceful: free from disturbance; tranquil.
• Subdued (for visual sense): soft, muted, or restrained in color or intensity.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• A noisy minority: A small group of people who express their opinions very loudly and forcefully, often giving the impression they are larger or more representative than they are.
  • The policy change was driven by a noisy minority, not the silent majority.

Adjective

1. attracting attention by showiness or bright colors
   • a noisy sweater
2. full of or characterized by loud and nonmusical sounds
   • a noisy cafeteria
   • a small noisy dog