Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to ululate

to ululate

1 9.9
To make long loud shaky cries to show strong feeling
  • verb
  • /ˈjuːləˌleɪt/
translation icon : ulular
  • During the mourning ceremony, people began to ululate to express their grief.
  • women ululated

Examples

  • While Kazu kicked and squirmed, Daguna stuck her fist in the air repeatedly, like a prize fighter, and looked around defiantly, ululating in triumph.

    Academic text (1992)

  • As the sun set, the villagers ululated joyfully to welcome the festival.

  • A woman begins to ululate.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Laughing and ululating, all the women had gathered in a circle around them.

    Academic text (1992)

  • " In the background, Algerian women accompanying the team ululated in rhythm with the chant.

    Academic text (2010)

  • There was singing, ululating, and applauding as the chief's procession approached and appeared.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • Some of the women ululated shrilly, causing the skin on Tali's scalp to prickle.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • Ululating like a stallion hungry with desire, his face red with effort, his Adam's apple trembling, producing all of this quavering sound for what feels like minutes.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • Under the eyes of the mukhabarat, the plainclothes secret police, soldiers herded all the men into the trucks while the women leaned over balconies and ululated like they would at funerals.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • The crowd began to ululate in celebration when their team won the match.

Synonyms

to scream
vsto ululate
∞ 1.0

To make a loud high cry because of fear or pain

is less sharp and has a sustained wavering pattern rather than abrupt
to cry
vsto ululate
342 1.0

To make a loud call to show feeling or get attention

is specifically long, loud, and wavering to express deep emotion
to cry out
vsto ululate
108 1.8

Shout loudly to show a strong feeling, for example when surprised or hurt

is typically sustained and wavering rather than a brief reaction
to wail
vsto ululate
84 3.2

To make a long loud cry because you are hurt or very sad

is used for both grief and joy and has a wavering tone
to let out
vsto ululate
50 3.1

Make a sound like a laugh, cry, or sigh

is specifically a long wavering vocal expression of strong feeling
to howl
vsto ululate
48 2.6

To give a long loud cry because of pain, grief, or anger

is more wavering and can express joy as well as grief
to bawl
vsto ululate
39 5.9

Cry or shout loudly and without control

is more musical and controlled, not just loud uncontrolled noise
to ree
vsto ululate
  • Slang
1 9.9

To make a long loud high cry, often by animals

is longer and produces a wavering musical quality not just shrill
to yaup
vsto ululate
  • Archaic
9.9

To make long, loud, harsh cries repeatedly

is similar but tends to be wavering rather than harsh

How Loud

to shriek
72 2.9
to howl
48 2.6
to ululate
1 9.9
to wail
84 3.2
moan
  • NSFW
119 1.8
to murmur
11 4.2

Surface Forms

ululate infinitive
ululated past
ululated past participle
ululating present participle
ululates third person singular

Morphology

ululate = ulul + ate

Although formed from the Latin/onomatopoeic base ulul- plus the verb-forming suffix -ate, the root is not a recognizable English word, so learners cannot reliably infer the meaning from its parts.

Etymology

The word ululate comes from the Latin verb ululare, which means 'to howl' or 'to wail'. Think of long, wavering cries, like the sound of wolves or mourners, and this is just like the English word howl. So to ululate is to make loud, long cries of strong feeling, such as grief or joy.