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murmurer

murmurer

8.4
A person who speaks in a soft voice that is hard to hear
  • noun
  • /ˈmɜːrmər/
translation icon : murmurador
  • In the quiet library, a murmurer shared his thoughts on the book, barely audible over the pages turning.

Examples

  • Its charismatic leader was a proud murmurer, a Belgian with an old-world gentleness and remoteness of manner.

    Academic text (2010)
  • During the meeting, the murmurer spoke so softly that no one could hear his ideas.

  • As they gathered around the campfire, a murmurer whispered stories that captivated the listeners.

Synonyms

whisperer
vsmurmurer
23 6.8

A person who speaks quietly so only one person can hear

focuses on soft often unclear speech rather than just low volume
mumbler
vsmurmurer
1 7.5

A person who speaks quietly so others cannot understand them

is similar but stresses soft barely audible speech over general unclearness
mutterer
vsmurmurer
8.2

A person who speaks in a quiet voice that is hard to hear

is softer and makes understanding the words especially difficult
mumbly Joe
vsmurmurer
  • Informal
9.9

A person who speaks quietly and unclearly so others cannot understand

is the neutral descriptive term used across situations

Antonyms

2 3.9

A person who speaks very loudly to be heard

How Loud

shouter
2 3.9
talker
69 2.1
murmurer
8.4
quiet one
4 5.3

Surface Forms

murmurer singular
murmurers plural

Morphology

murmurer = murmur (transparent) = murmur + er

Productive agent-noun formation: 'murmur' + '-er' straightforwardly yields 'a person who murmurs'.

Etymology

The word murmurer comes from the old sound word murmur, which imitates a 'low, continuous sound' like a small stream or quiet talking. So a murmurer is simply someone who makes that low, hard-to-hear sound when they speak.