WORD OF THE DAY: SONOROUS

WORD OF THE DAY: SONOROUS

adjective|SAH-nuh-rus

What It Means

Sonorous is an adjective used in formal speech and writing to describe something that has a deep, loud, and pleasant sound. Sonorous can also mean “producing sound (when struck)” and “imposing or impressive in effect or style.”

// The baritone’s deep, sonorous voice cut through the din of the crowd, the voices immediately halting their conversations to listen more intently.

Examples of SONOROUS

“The sonorous notes of a modern pipe organ were the soundtrack to my tour, enhancing the sense of reverence the cathedral inspires.” — Tracey Teo, The Chicago Tribune, 11 Sept. 2024.

Did You Know?

If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, is it sonorous? Don’t be thrown off by the subtle tweak in this classic conundrum—which usually ends with “does it make a sound?”—it’s still the same question. Sonorous, in its oldest sense, simply describes things that make a sound when struck (the word’s Latin ancestor, sonorus, is related to sonus, meaning “sound”). By this definition, felled firs, windblown willows, etc., are all sonorous. A desktop tapped by a pencil eraser wouldn’t normally be described as sonorous, however. The word is usually reserved for things that make a deep, loud, booming, or echoing sound—think timpanis (or toppling timber), not tables. Sonorous is also frequently used to describe sounds themselves, as well as voices, that are deep, loud, and pleasant. And as sonorous sounds often cause one to sit up and take notice, sonorous can also mean “imposing or impressive in effect or style,” as when describing particularly affecting speech or prose.

Merriam Webster Dictionary