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Glite Dictionary
😒 A complaint 🔊 A low sound
grumbling

grumbling

3.7
A deep, low, continuous sound like a distant rumble
  • adjective
  • /ˈɡrʌmbəlɪŋ/
translation icon : retumbante
  • As the storm approached, we could hear the grumbling thunder in the distance, warning us to take cover.

Examples

  • Most of the time, these little larvae were making sounds like this, but sometimes they'd make these grumbling growl kind of sounds, too.

  • SH SH, SH and silence the noise outside of you and silence the noise within you, your grumbling stomach, your thoughts about what you're doing tonight.

  • And there's just that that kind of, you know, grumbling hubbub of.

  • There you go, Siege Engineer and the grumbling Guard guarding these cannons with only five crew members left.

  • SH SH, SH and silence the noise outside of you and silence the noise within you, your grumbling stomach, your thoughts about what you're doing tonight.

  • The old truck gave a grumbling sound as it rolled down the road, reminding me of its age.

  • After the long hike, my friend complained about his grumbling stomach, which reminded him to eat something.

Synonyms

growling
vsgrumbling
138 3.4

A low angry sound animals make to warn people

is less explicitly angry and more continuous and full in pitch
murmuring
vsgrumbling
9 5.9

A quiet complaint said softly by people who disagree

emphasizes continuous full low sound rather than spoken complaint
muttering
vsgrumbling
3 4.7

A quiet complaint spoken in a low voice

focuses on continuous full low sound rather than complaint speech
rumbling
vsgrumbling
2 3.2

Making a deep low sound that you can feel

is a fuller low sound with a more persistent vibrating character
growly
vsgrumbling
1 5.7

Making a low rough sound like a dog or bear

is steadier and fuller, less sharp or threatening in effect
grumbly
vsgrumbling
6.3

A low, deep sound like an engine or a stomach

is more continuous and full in tone rather than brief or suggestive

Antonyms

silence
660 2.0

A period with no sound or speech

How Deep

thunderous
15 4.1
rumbling
75 3.2
grumbling
3.7
low
721 1.8

Surface Forms

grumbling positive

Morphology

grumbling = grumble (transparent) = grumble + ing

A participial adjective formed from the verb 'grumble' describing the low, rumbling quality of a sound; the relation is direct.

Etymology

Grumbling comes from the same low, growling sound idea behind words like rumble and growl. That's why grumbling describes a continuous 'low' or 'deep' noise, like distant thunder or an old engine.