loudly

loudly — adverb

1. producing enough sound to be heard easily, often from a distance

1.adverbA2
Definition

producing enough sound to be heard easily, often from a distance

Example

Hugo played his guitar so loudly that the neighbours complained to the building manager.

so loudly that [result clause]

At the comedy club, Inês laughed loudly until her stomach hurt.

Common collocations
  • speak loudly
  • laugh loudly
  • shout loudly
  • cheer loudly
  • cry loudly
  • complain loudly
  • bark loudly
  • play loudly
  • snore loudly
  • knock loudly
Synonyms
  • noisily

    emphasises unpleasant or disruptive sound; often negative

  • boisterously

    describes energetic, lively noise from people having fun; more specific

  • deafeningly

    so loud that it is almost painful; much stronger intensity

  • stridently

    suggests a harsh, grating quality; more formal

Antonyms
  • quietly

    opposite meaning; standard antonym

  • softly

    gentle low-volume sound; slightly softer than quietly

Grammar Patterns

verb + loudly

loudly + verb

so / too / very + loudly

Usage Note

In informal English, 'loud' is sometimes used as an adverb (e.g. 'Don't talk so loud'), but in standard and formal writing 'loudly' is the correct adverb form. The adverb can appear before or after the verb it modifies, with end-position being more common in everyday speech.

Common Mistakes

He talks too loud in the library.
He talks too loudly in the library.
'Loud' is an adjective; to modify a verb you need the adverb form 'loudly'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

All four words describe high-volume sound, but they differ in connotation and range. Loudly is the most neutral and general term — it simply indicates a high level of sound without judging it. Noisily adds a negative tone, suggesting that the sound is disruptive or unwanted, as in 'the children played noisily inside the house.' Boisterously describes energetic, cheerful noise made by people enjoying themselves, carrying a positive or neutral feeling. Deafeningly is the strongest of the group, meaning so loud that it overwhelms or almost hurts the ears, often paired with silence or volume extremes ('the room fell deafeningly silent'). Stridently describes a harsh, grating loudness that is unpleasant to hear ('she spoke stridently over the microphone'). For everyday use, 'loudly' is the safest choice; for more precise writing, pick the word that matches the tone of the noise.

noisily ↗boisterouslydeafeninglystridently

Common collocations

Adverbs

Phrases

  • loudly enough
  • as loudly as possible
  • so loudly that

Etymology

Proto-Indo-EuropeanProto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Formed in Middle English by adding the adverb suffix '-ly' to 'loude' (loud), which comes from Old English 'hlūd' (adjective, 'loud'). The Old English word traces back through Proto-Germanic '*hlūdaz' ('heard, loud') to the Proto-Indo-European root '*ḱlew-' ('to hear'), which also gave us words like 'loudspeaker', 'aloud', and the German 'laut' (loud).