What does bawler mean?
A bawler is a person who bawls — that is, who cries, weeps, or shouts in a loud, unrestrained way. The word is an agent noun built directly on the verb "bawl," and it inherits that verb's vivid, slightly comic force. Calling someone a bawler suggests more than ordinary tearfulness: it conjures the image of noisy, full-throated crying, whether from a distressed toddler, a heartbroken moviegoer, or a frustrated sports fan. The term can equally describe habitual loud shouting, as in a boss or coach known for bellowing orders. In some varieties of English, particularly in the Caribbean, it has an affectionate extended sense referring to a singer with an exceptionally powerful voice. Informal and conversational in register, "bawler" rarely appears in formal writing, yet its expressive punch makes it a memorable choice when plain words like "crier" feel too mild. Its near-homographs "baller" and "bowler" make it a word worth spelling carefully.
nounA person who bawls; someone who cries or weeps loudly and unrestrainedly, or who shouts in a loud, forceful voice.
- A person who cries or weeps loudly and uncontrollably.
- A person who shouts or yells in a loud, aggressive voice.
- (Informal, chiefly Caribbean English) A singer with an exceptionally loud, powerful voice.
"The exhausted toddler was such a bawler that the flight attendants offered the parents seats in the bulkhead row."
"By the end of the film she was a complete bawler, dabbing her eyes with her sleeve."
"The drill sergeant was a legendary bawler whose voice carried clear across the parade ground."
The standard plural follows regular English noun inflection; it typically refers collectively to people prone to loud crying or shouting.
"The nursery was full of bawlers that afternoon, and the staff earned every bit of their pay."
Swap one letter and a bawler becomes a baller — which makes it easy to picture a basketball star sobbing into his jersey after a buzzer-beater.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bawler
Bawler derives from the verb "bawl," which entered English in the late Middle Ages. The verb's origin is debated: it may come from Old Norse "baula," meaning to low like a cow, or from Medieval Latin "baulare," meaning to bark or howl. Either way, the original sense involved loud animal-like crying out, and the sense of human wailing developed from it. The noun "bawler" is a straightforward agent formation on this verb, first appearing in English in the seventeenth century.
How bawler is actually used
"Bawler" is an informal, somewhat colloquial word formed from the verb "bawl." It carries a mildly humorous or dismissive connotation when describing someone who cries easily, and is most often used in casual speech rather than formal writing.
Easily confused with bawler
A baller is a person who plays basketball or lives lavishly, while a bawler is simply someone who cries or shouts loudly — the two words differ by one letter but have entirely unrelated meanings.
A bowler is a cricket player who delivers the ball, or a type of hard round hat, whereas a bawler is a loud crier or shouter.