whispery

3 4.1

Making a soft sound like a whisper

adjective
/ˈwɪspəri/

: susurrante

The eerie ambiance was enhanced by a whispery sound that floated through the dark room.
whispery voice
whispery sound

It's like the perfect shade for just like a whispery pink highlight if you like that.

Examples

His voice was soft, slightly whispery, with just a trace of a Hispanic accent.

Fiction book (1995)
His voice was soft, whispery, and wise.

Fiction book (2001)
And Link gets the phone and Link says in a whispery voice, hey, Peter.
After a moment, he heard the whispery voices.

Fiction book (2002)
Now the Great Sparrow says something against my neck in a voice so whispery.

Fiction book (1996)
Onalbi voices were dry and whispery, like the desert wind.

Fiction book (1997)
"How many did you kill?" the First Seeker asked in his hushed, whispery voice.

Fiction book (1991)
The strange music laced the night air, and woven through the melody was a whispery voice.

Fiction book (1993)
"You don't belong here!" he hissed in his stark, whispery voice.

Fiction book (1993)
Bible pages, heavy with dust, rustle, and I think I hear God's hoarse, whispery voice.

Fiction book (1992)

Synonyms

quiet

vswhispery

∞ 1.0

Not making much noise

is a specific soft sound that suggests a near silent spoken tone

hushed

vswhispery

44 4.1

Very quiet in a careful, respectful, or secret way

is an inherent soft quiet quality rather than being intentionally silenced

soft-spoken

vswhispery

20 3.9

A person who speaks in a quiet, gentle voice

is about the sound quality itself rather than a speaking habit

whispered

vswhispery

12 2.9

Said very quietly in a soft voice

describes a general soft and quiet quality rather than the production method

breathy

vswhispery

8 5.7

A voice that sounds soft and has a lot of air

is quieter and refers to general soft quietness rather than airiness alone

small

vswhispery

7 1.0

Quiet and hard to hear

is more about resembling a very quiet spoken breath than mere faintness

little

vswhispery

3 1.1

Soft and quiet in voice

is more specific in suggesting the sound resembles a quiet spoken breath

murmuring

vswhispery

2 4.7

Making a low continuous sound like soft voices or gentle waves

is a soft quiet quality rather than a steady continuous sound

murmurous

vswhispery

Literature

1 9.6

Full of soft low sounds like leaves moving or quiet voices

is quieter in focus pointing to a single soft voice rather than many sounds

stilly

vswhispery

Archaic

1 9.9

A quiet, peaceful time or place with very little sound

is more about soft speech resembling quiet tone rather than silent calm

susurrant

vswhispery

Literature

1 9.9

A soft whispering sound that continues quietly

is about soft quiet quality rather than continuous indistinct sound

susurrous

vswhispery

Literature

1 9.9

Making a soft whispering sound like leaves moving

is neutral and focuses on soft spoken quality rather than poetic rustle

Antonyms

noisy

129 1.0

Full of loud, unpleasant sounds

boisterous

18 4.7

Loud and energetic, like a happy crowd or party

How Quiet

silent

278 1.0

hushed

44 4.1

whispery

3 4.1

quiet

∞ 1.0

soft

254 1.0

Surface Forms

whispery positive

whisperier comparative

whisperiest superlative

Morphology

whispery = whisper (transparent) = whisper + y

Formed by the productive suffix '-y' added to the noun 'whisper', yielding an adjective meaning 'having the quality of a whisper', which is directly inferable by learners.

Etymology

The word whispery is made from the familiar word whisper and the ending -y. Whisper means 'to speak very quietly' and -y means 'full of' or 'having the quality of', so whispery describes something 'soft and quiet like a whisper'.