muttering

Examples

• All

• The sidewalk was thick with gawkers, banded into several muttering conferences as they stared at Boyle's place.

  Fiction book (1998)

• The crowd warmed the hall to an uncomfortable degree; expectant muttering masked any music that might have been playing on the quad.

  Fiction book (2001)

• Hardy heard some muttering, "All right, all right, just a second," and prepared himself to move.

  Fiction book (1999)

• Another voice, just as soft, joined the bag lady's muttering.

  Fiction book (1995)

• When she actually appeared, even the mutterings and whispers died away.

  Fiction book (1991)

• His thrashing and muttering subsided, replaced by a double hiss as he began breathing nasally again.

  Fiction book (1999)

• Meera could only hear a low muttering and the creaking of the gate as the watchman rocked against it.

  Fiction book (2002)

• Nancy Kaye's endless muttering has just intensified, becoming more frantic, more desperate, and more ruled by mortal fear.

  Fiction book (1996)

• The sound of voices reached out to them now, disembodied grunts, mutterings, and laughter that the dilapidated walls could not keep in.

  Fiction book (1991)

• As the crowd gathered, the low muttering of their discontent filled the air, creating a tense atmosphere.

Synonyms

M

murmur

vsmuttering

36 4.1

A low, quiet sound made by people speaking softly or by small movements

is the steady lip-produced indistinct sound rather than general causes

M

mutter

vsmuttering

18 4.4

A low quiet complaint that people say so others cannot hear

is more about a steady indistinct sound made by moving the lips

M

murmuring

vsmuttering

11 3.4

A low continuous sound made by voices or nature

is focused on human quiet lip movements rather than natural soft noises

M

mumbling

vsmuttering

6 3.6

Speaking quietly and not clearly so people cannot understand

is about indistinct continuous sound rather than unclear articulated words

S

susurration

vsmuttering

1 9.9

A soft whispering sound like wind in leaves

is less human and shows natural ambient noise rather than lip speech

M

mussitation

vsmuttering

• Archaic

9.9

A low soft sound made by quiet talking without clear words

is broader, covering low indistinct sounds beyond lip movement

M

murmuration

vsmuttering

9.6

A soft low sound of many people talking at once

is more specific to low lip-produced sounds rather than general soft speech

W

whispering

vsmuttering

3.0

Making a low, soft continuous sound like wind or water

is more about lip motion producing continuous indistinct speech not gentle breath

Antonyms

C

clarity

152 3.0

How easy it is to understand what someone says or writes

A

articulation

9 4.6

To express thoughts or feelings clearly in words

How Clear

announcement

738 1.5

whisper

110 1.0

muttering

3 4.6

murmur

36 4.1

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology