Raucous means harsh, loud, and rowdy in a way that feels uncontrolled or chaotic. A raucous party has people shouting over each other and music blaring too loud. A raucous crowd at a sporting event might be cheering and yelling so enthusiastically that you can barely hear yourself think.

The word has a rough quality to it: raucous laughter is wild and unrestrained, almost harsh to the ears, going beyond ordinary loudness. A flock of crows making a racket outside your window is raucous when their cawing all jumbles together in a chorus that sounds disorderly and grating.

You might describe a rowdy cafeteria as raucous when everyone's talking and laughing at full volume, chairs scraping, and trays clattering. The word often appears when describing sounds that feel disorderly or overwhelming: raucous applause that erupts after an incredible performance, or a raucous celebration where people are too excited to keep things calm.

Raucous isn't always negative. Sometimes that wild energy feels exactly right, like when your team wins the championship and everyone goes raucous with joy. But it definitely means things have gotten loud and a little out of hand.