loudnessn.
/ˈlaʊdnəs/, U.S. /ˈlaʊdnəs/ The quality or condition of being loud; an instance of this. Also, the (great or small) extent to which a sound is heard as loud.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > loudness > [noun]
loudnessc1050
magnitude?a1425
vehemencyc1487
noisiness1727
streperousness1727
thunderousness1904
the mind > attention and judgement > bad taste > flashiness or gaudiness > [noun]
finesse1549
garishness1598
gaudiness1601
finery1656
glare1706
snobbery1843
flauntiness1854
flashiness1855
shoddyism1865
loudness1881
obtrusiveness1881
floridity1883
flashness1885
orchidacity1897
pizzazz1937
neon1958
snazziness1961
c1050 Byrhtferth's Handboc in Anglia (1885) 8 332 Clamor on lyden on englisc ys hludnys.
c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 314/1 Lowdenesse, altitudo.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 241/1 Loudnesse, haultesse.
1646 R. Crashaw Steps to Temple 130 His prayers tooke their price and strength Not from the lowdnesse, nor the length.
1733 J. Swift New Simile for Ladies 21 When th' alarum-bell is rung Of Xanti's everlasting tongue, The husband dreads its loudness more Than lightning's flash or thunder's roar.
1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. ii. 16 These echos would diminish in loudness just as the images of the candle diminish in brightness.
1881 H. James Portrait of Lady II. vii. 96 Naturally, he couldn't like her style, her loudness, her want of repose.
1881 J. Broadhouse Student's Helmholtz 394 They produce beats, or loudnesses separated by silences.
1937 Ann. Reg. 1936 65 It was suggested that an overall loudness of 90 phons at a lateral distance of 18 ft. should be the maximum permitted for a private car running on full throttle at 30 m.p.h.
1948 P. M. Morse Vibration & Sound (ed. 2) vi. 226 Corresponding to the physical quantities intensity and frequency are the physiological (or, rather, psychophysiological) quantities loudness and pitch.
1948 P. M. Morse Vibration & Sound (ed. 2) vi. 227 The bottom curve, for zero loudness, is the threshold of hearing, below which a sound..is inaudible to the average person.
1959 Chambers's Encycl. XII. 728/1 It is important to distinguish between sound intensity—a physical quantity measurable in definite physical units; and loudness—the magnitude of the auditory sensation produced by that sound and therefore a subjective quantity depending upon personal judgements.
1961 G. A. Briggs A to Z in Audio 117 Although loudness depends primarily on actual intensity, it is also strongly affected by frequency.
1962 A. Nisbett Technique Sound Studio xi. 196 Equal loudness from the two voices will not generally be required.
Compounds
C1. General attributive.
loudness level n.
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1938 Bell Lab. Rec. 16 213/1 The intensity level of the 1000-cycle reference tone was defined as the loudness level of this tone, and any other sound which is judged by listeners to be equally loud is said to have an equal value of loudness level.
1938 Bell Lab. Rec. 16 214/2 The unit to be used for intensity level measurements is the decibel, but the unit to be used for the equivalent loudness level measurements is the phon.
loudness scale n.
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1934 Discovery Dec. 346/2 The number of phons and decibels coincides for the loudness scale applying to the frequency 1,000 cycles per second, but for no other frequency.
C2.
loudness control n. a device on an audio amplifier which corrects for the change in quality of reproduced sound at low volumes by boosting the bass (and often also the treble) relative to the middle frequencies, either combined with a volume control or as a separate on-off switch.
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the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > audibility > sound magnification or reproduction > [noun] > amplifier > controls of
loudness control1961
1961 G. A. Briggs A to Z in Audio 117 When the volume is turned down, music tends to sound thin and emaciated. The effect may be counteracted to some extent by bass and treble boost in the amplifier. A loudness control is a device which automatically applies bass and treble boost as volume is reduced.
1970 J. Earl How to choose Tuners & Amplifiers i. 18 An idea which is popular in Europe and America (though not often liked in Great Britain) is the so-called loudness control.
1970 J. Earl How to choose Tuners & Amplifiers i. 18 Some amplifiers are equipped only with a loudness control, while others feature the ordinary (non-compensated) volume control which can be changed to loudness control action by means of a switch.
1975 Gramophone May 2026 (advt.) Separate loudness control.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1903; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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