Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
droning

droning

8 6.5
A low, constant sound like insects or a machine
  • noun
  • /ˈdroʊnɪŋ/
translation icon : zumbido
  • I am filling in the words, home alone on the sofa, the TV droning in the background to keep me company.
  • droning sound
  • droning voice
  • droning monotone

Examples

  • The sound of the droning grew more distinct, and toward morning she realized that it was rain.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • The flickering of the television screen and its low droning dominated the room.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • I could almost hear their low droning voices as they said, "Check that out, Bob."

    Blog text (24)

  • While we were in line, a droning voice recited some history.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • "My mother is dead," he would chant in a low droning voice as he walked around the house.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • His attention returns to the droning executive, and the benignant smile returns to his lips.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • I even greeted the droning TV set with giddy delight.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • A clean, beautifully tiled world of lazing figures, droning conversations, and resonant laughter.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Bianca ignores the droning teacher as she writes a note in big flowing handwriting.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • The teacher's droning continued throughout the lecture, making it hard for the students to stay awake.

Synonyms

drone
vsdroning
16 5.2

A long low steady sound that plays behind a tune

is the pure unchanging low tone or monotonous intonation rather than the part
monotone
vsdroning
8 5.3

A way of speaking with the same tone that sounds boring

focuses on continuous low unvarying tone rather than human voice only
murmuring
vsdroning
4.7

Making a low continuous sound like soft voices or gentle waves

is a steadier, louder low sound that stays the same in pitch

Antonyms

variation
113 3.0

A change in amount or condition from what is normal

How Monotonous

droning
8 6.5
murmur
36 4.1
hum
85 1.0

Surface Forms

droning singular
dronings plural

Morphology

droning = drone (transparent) = drone + ing

Formed by the productive verbal base 'drone' plus the nominalizing/gerundial suffix '-ing', so the meaning is directly derived from the verb.

Etymology

Droning comes from drone, which was first the name for a male bee known for its steady 'low hum'. So, droning now describes any steady, continuous sound or an unchanging, monotone voice.