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Glite Dictionary
murmurous

murmurous

1 9.6
Full of soft low sounds like leaves moving or quiet voices
  • adjective
  • /ˈmɜːrmərəs/
  • Literature
translation icon : susurrante
  • The murmurous haunt of flies on summer eves.
  • murmurous sound

Examples

  • Cool sheets, moonlight on the windows, the trees murmurous.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • "The sound was murmurous and steady as a pulse.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • The creek made a murmurous whispering sound.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • A murmurous swarm, not buzzing but singing; a faintly unearthly sound.

    Academic text (1995)

  • Edie would pause at the base of the stairway, listening to their dark murmurous voices from the library-den where Dr. and Mrs. Goodman were.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • The air was filled with a murmurous sound as the leaves rustled gently in the breeze.

  • As we sat by the fire, we listened to the murmurous tones of the distant waterfall.

  • In the quiet garden, the murmurous chatter of the birds created a relaxing atmosphere.

Synonyms

whispery
vsmurmurous
2 4.1

Making a soft sound like a whisper

focuses on ongoing low rustling rather than a single whisper
susurrous
vsmurmurous
  • Literature
9.9

Making a soft whispering sound like leaves moving

is similar but less literary in tone

How Noisy

deafening
9 3.5
noisy
125 1.0
murmurous
  • Literature
1 9.6
quiet
∞ 1.0
silent
257 1.0

Surface Forms

murmurous positive

Morphology

murmurous = murmur (transparent) = murmur + ous

Formed directly from 'murmur' + '-ous', the adjective meaning 'characterized by murmuring' is predictable from the base.

Etymology

The word murmurous comes from the simple sound-word murmur, which was made to copy quiet, repeating noises like a small stream or low talk and means 'soft, low sound'. So, something murmurous is full of gentle, whispering noise.