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to like the sound of one's own voice

to like the sound of one's own voice

8.8
To enjoy hearing yourself speak while not listening to others
  • idiom
translation icon : le gusta oírse hablar
  • Some people talk at length not to contribute but because they like the sound of their own voice.

Examples

  • He always dominates meetings because he likes the sound of his own voice.

  • Don't mind her—she just likes the sound of her own voice and loves to lecture everyone.

  • He really likes the sound of his own voice!

  • Does she like the sound of her own voice?

  • In every discussion, it feels like he just likes the sound of his own voice more than anyone else's opinion.

  • During the presentation, she clearly likes the sound of her own voice, talking non-stop and ignoring the questions from the audience.

  • It's obvious that some politicians like the sound of their own voice as they tend to speak for hours without engaging with the public.

Synonyms

to toot your own horn
vsto like the sound of one's own voice
  • Informal
7 7.5

To talk proudly about things you have done

focuses on enjoying one's own speech and speaking without considering listeners

Antonyms

1.0

Not making much noise

3.7

Not willing to show feelings or talk much

How Self-Important

narcissistic
58 7.8
to like the sound of one's own voice
8.8
talkative
33 2.5

Surface Forms

Morphology

like + the + sound + of + one + own + voice

The core meaning—enjoying the sound of one's own speaking voice—is directly compositional from 'like' + 'sound' + 'one's own voice', so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words can readily derive the basic sense. The additional pragmatic inference (that the person talks excessively or self-importantly) is an extra implicature rather than part of the lexical meaning, so the expression remains transparent.

Etymology

The verb like the sound of one's own voice comes from the clear image of someone who loves the noise of their own voice and therefore speaks a lot. That is why it describes people who talk in a way that shows 'arrogance' or who do not listen to others.