thunderous
adjUK /ˈθʌn.də.ɹəs/ · CA, US /ˈθʌn.dɚ.əs/
Etymology From thunder + -ous.
1
Very loud; that sounds like thunder; thundersome. Also in metaphorical expressions, signifying fury.
- But when the moon rose and the breeze awakened, and the sedges stirred, and the cat's-paws raced across the moonlit ponds, and the far surf off Wonder Head intoned the hymn of the four winds, the trinity, earth and sky and water, became one thunderous symphony—a harmony of sound and colour silvered to a monochrome by the moon.1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter VIII, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:
- He inflated his chest, twirled his moustache, and thumped the table with a revulsion to thunderous indignation.1930, Norman Lindsay, Redheap, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, →OCLC, page 85:
3 more examples
- Mr Quelch, with a thunderous brow, marched on.1932, Frank Richards, “The Complete Outsider”, in The Magnet:
- I remember the sudden drop in the note of the station bell, as we roar through, perhaps with 16 coaches; sweep up to milepost 9½, and then, with increasing thunder from the exhaust, fairly rush the fells at Milnthorpe at the foot of the climb to Grayrigg, until the steady thunderous beat re-echoes past Mosedale Hall, still at 40 m.p.h.1955 April, W. J. Alcock, “Unforgettable Moments”, in Railway Magazine, page 271:
- After the hour mark, events in Manchester were almost becoming a distraction such was the thunderous cheer from the United fans to greet QPR taking their unlikely lead against City.2012 May 13, Alistair Magowan, “Sunderland 0-1 Man Utd”, in BBC Sport:
- Derived terms
- thunderously, thunderousness