What does loudmouthed mean?
Loudmouthed is an informal adjective meaning excessively loud, boastful, and irritating in the way one speaks. It describes not merely a person's volume but also an abrasive, attention-seeking manner, often involving boasts, bravado, or disrespect toward others. The word can apply broadly to a person's style of talking, as in “a loudmouthed commentator,” or more specifically to someone who is both noisy and objectionable, as in “a loudmouthed idiot.” Its negative force makes it more common in criticism, argument, and informal conversation than in formal writing. It is sometimes used as a general insult, so its use can be rude or hostile. The related noun loudmouth names the person who behaves this way, while loudly and loudness belong to the broader word family based on loud.
adjectiveLoudmouthed describes someone who talks in a loud, boastful, and often irritating or disrespectful way.
- Having a habit of speaking loudly and boastfully, especially in a way that is irritating, insolent, or attention-seeking.
"His loudmouthed comments made the meeting far more difficult than it needed to be."
"The loudmouthed defender argued with the referee until the crowd booed."
"Her loudmouthed manner made it difficult for her to make a serious point."
Loudmouthed turns the ordinary idea of a loud voice into a sharp character judgement: the problem is not only the volume, but the boastfulness and rudeness that come with it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does loudmouthed come from?
Loudmouthed is formed by combining loud with mouth and adding the suffix -ed. The adjective loud comes from Old English hlūd, while mouth comes from Old English mūþ. The compound meaning “loud in speech” developed into a disparaging term for someone whose manner is noisy, boastful, and socially intrusive.
Related word forms
How loudmouthed is actually used
This is an informal and generally disparaging word. It is more commonly used in British and US English to criticize someone's behaviour than as a neutral description.
Easily confused with loudmouthed
A loudmouth is a person who is conspicuously noisy and boastful, while loudmouthed is the adjective describing that person's behaviour.