Sound & Quality Vocabulary

sweet or musical; pleasant to hear

“Her mellifluous voice captivated the audience.”

Origin: Latin mellifluus: mel (honey) + fluere (to flow)

imposingly deep and full in sound

“The sonorous bells echoed through the valley.”

Origin: Latin sonorus: sonor (sound, noise)

a harsh, discordant mixture of sounds

“The cacophony of car horns filled the busy street.”

Origin: Greek kakophonia: kakos (bad) + phone (sound)

sweet and soothing; melodious

“The dulcet tones of the harp relaxed everyone.”

Origin: Latin dulcis (sweet)

loud and harsh; grating

“Her strident voice cut through the noise.”

Origin: Latin stridere (to make a harsh noise, creak)

deep, clear, and continuing to sound

“His resonant baritone filled the concert hall.”

Origin: Latin resonare: re- (again) + sonare (to sound)

disagreeing or incongruous; harsh in sound

“The discordant notes made listeners wince.”

Origin: Latin discordant-: dis- (apart) + cor/cord- (heart)

making a harsh, loud noise

“The raucous laughter disturbed the neighbors.”

Origin: Latin raucus (hoarse, harsh-sounding)

high-pitched and piercing

“The shrill whistle signaled the train's departure.”

Origin: Middle English shrille, of Germanic origin

harsh-sounding; produced in the throat

“He spoke in guttural tones that were hard to understand.”

Origin: Latin guttur (throat)

making a hissing sound

“The sibilant whispers filled the darkened theater.”

Origin: Latin sibilare (to hiss, whistle)

sounding sad and mournful

“The plaintive cry of the owl echoed through the night.”

Origin: Old French plaintif: plaindre (to lament)

pleasing to the ear

“Italian is often described as a euphonious language.”

Origin: Greek euphonos: eu (well, good) + phone (sound)

involving or producing harsh, discordant sounds

“The cacophonous construction noise never stopped.”

Origin: Greek kakophonia: kakos (bad) + phone (sound)

extremely loud and powerful

“His stentorian voice needed no microphone.”

Origin: Greek Stentor, a herald in the Iliad with a powerful voice

quiet and soft; not loud

“The muted conversation barely reached their ears.”

Origin: Latin mutus (silent)

very loud; resembling thunder

“The thunderous applause lasted several minutes.”

Origin: Old English thunor (thunder), from Germanic root

very quiet and still

“A hushed silence fell over the crowd.”

Origin: Middle English hussht (interjection for silence)

very loud, sharp, and unpleasant

“Her piercing scream alarmed everyone nearby.”

Origin: Old French percier (to pierce), from Latin pertusus

having a light, pleasant rhythm

“She spoke with a lilting Irish accent.”

Origin: Middle English lulten (to sound an alarm), possibly Scandinavian origin

relating to sound or the sense of hearing

“The room's acoustic properties were excellent for music.”

Origin: Greek akoustikos: akouein (to hear)

relating to the immediate surroundings of something

“The ambient noise of the city helped him sleep.”

Origin: Latin ambient-: ambire (to go around)