sonority

noun

so·​nor·​i·​ty sə-ˈnȯr-ə-tē 

-ˈnär-

plural sonorities

1

: the quality or state of being sonorous : resonance

2

: a sonorous tone or speech

3

phonetics : the perceptibility or distinctness of speech sounds when spoken in a context in which stress, pitch, and sound duration are constant

vowels possessing greater sonority than consonants

Examples of sonority in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That sonority, at once hazy and precise, soft and powerful, builds into an overwhelming wave of melody, carrying us nearly to midnight. —Justin Davidson, Vulture, 11 Mar. 2026

His wizardry was displayed Sunday in fastidious massaging of volumes, sonorities and interplays, always with an undercurrent of urgency. —Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News, 3 Mar. 2026

Debussy’s otherworldly sonorities, drifting away from the tonal system, uncannily matched Maeterlinck’s Symbolist prose. —Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 29 July 2024

However, her playing in Ravel’s Left Hand Concerto was masterful, summoning ferocious sonorities in the bass register, flying to the top register and back with graceful agility. —Christian Hertzog, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1623, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for sonority

• authority
• majority
• minority
• priority
• seniority
• sorority
• exteriority
• inferiority
• superiority

Kids Definition

sonority

noun

so·​nor·​i·​ty sə-ˈnȯr-ət-ē 

-ˈnär-

plural sonorities

: the quality or state of being sonorous : resonance