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Glite Dictionary
sonorous

sonorous

3 7.2
A deep, loud sound that fills a place
  • adjective
  • /səˈnɔrəs/
translation icon : sonoro
  • The sonorous, deep-toned talk slid by in a lulling blur like the reverend's sermons.

Examples

  • The voice was deep and sonorous, welling up from far inside some cavernous space within the shade.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • She'd rehearsed on it that afternoon and found it tuned, agile, and graced with its usual sonorous sound.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • The rain came down in a spacious and sonorous flow.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • God should speak in great, rolling, sonorous Gothic letters the size of skyscrapers.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • We walked into the sonorous chill of a large stone-walled hall.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • The words reverberated in his head, mushy, sonorous, like someone very large talking in their sleep.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • Soon Art's sonorous breathing rumbled, out of sync with her frustration, and she lay wide-eyed in the dark.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • The poetic inscription contributes a visceral, material presence of sound, transforming the icon into a sonorous body.

    Academic text (2006)

  • Cranston personifies the narrator of these terrifying and wrenching short stories with his hypnotic voice: sonorous, gentle, and fierce.

    Academic text (2015)

  • The church bells rang out a sonorous tone that reverberated through the valley.

Synonyms

loud
vssonorous
733 1.0

Having a very strong, high sound

adds the idea of deep, rich tonal quality beyond mere loudness
full
vssonorous
52 2.7

Having a deep rich sound that fills a space

adds greater emphasis on volume and loud presence
resounding
vssonorous
23 4.9

Very loud and clear, or very strong and complete when talking about success

keeps depth and richness central rather than sheer loud emphasis
thunderous
vssonorous
15 4.1

A very loud, deep sound like thunder

focuses on fullness and depth rather than sheer overwhelming power
resonant
vssonorous
7 5.6

A deep clear sound that lasts for a while

emphasizes fullness and loudness rather than sustained ringing specifically
vibrant
vssonorous
4 4.2

A strong, clear sound that fills a room

is fuller and deeper, focusing more on weight than energy
booming
vssonorous
3 3.4

A deep loud voice or sound that echoes

is about full depth and tonal richness rather than sheer echoing power
boomy
vssonorous
1 7.3

A deep loud sound that echoes and has strong bass

is fuller and balanced rather than overly bass heavy
plangent
vssonorous
  • Literature
1 9.9

A loud, deep sound that feels sad

is similar in depth but lacks the specific sad tonal quality
sonorant
vssonorous
8.4

A full, rich sound that is pleasant to hear

is focused more on loud, full depth than pleasant musical tone
canorous
vssonorous
  • Literature
9.9

Being rich and pleasant in sound like a singing voice

leans more toward loud, broad depth than pure melody
sounding
vssonorous
5.6

Having a loud, low sound that fills a place

is more specifically about full depth rather than general impressiveness

Antonyms

flat
297 4.4

Not lively and often weak in taste or sound

to dull
33 3.4

Cause something to become less sharp, strong or bright

How Sonorous

booming
3 3.4
sonorous
3 7.2
full
52 2.7
resonant
7 5.6

Surface Forms

sonorous positive

Morphology

sonorous = sonor + ous

The meaning 'full of sound' is derivable from the root + '-ous', but the root form 'sonor' is not a standalone English word and the form differs from more familiar words like 'sound', which may confuse learners.

Etymology

Sonorous comes from an old Latin root son- and sonus, both meaning 'sound', and you can see the same root in the simple word sound and in sonic. So a sonorous voice or bell is one that has a full, deep, and loud 'sound'.