thudding

1 4.7

A heavy, dull sound you can feel as a low beat

adjective
/ˈθʌdɪŋ/

: sordo

She heard a thudding sound as the heavy box fell off the shelf.

Examples

The thudding footsteps of the runner echoed down the empty hallway.
The thudding noise from the drums filled the concert hall, creating a powerful rhythm.
There was a soft, steady, steady kind of thudding sound in the air that you realized was a heartbeat.

Synonyms

muffled

vsthudding

52 3.7

A sound made quieter and less clear by something covering or blocking it

is produced by hitting something soft rather than by being blocked

dull

vsthudding

21 1.6

A pain that is not sharp and not strong

focuses on sounds from hitting soft objects rather than general low intensity

Antonyms

clear

54 1.0

Pure and distinct in sound or colour

sharp

12 3.2

A high piercing sound that hurts the ears

How Muffled

thudding

1 4.7

muffled

52 3.7

muted

15 4.2

clear

54 1.0

Surface Forms

thudding positive

Morphology

thudding = thud (transparent) = thud + ing

The adjective is transparently formed from the verb 'thud' with the participial suffix '-ing', meaning having the quality of a thud.

Etymology

Thudding comes from the simple sound word thud, which copies a 'heavy, dull' noise. Think of a book dropped on a table — the muffled 'thud' you hear is what thudding describes.