sonorous

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adjective so·no·rous \ ˈsä-nə-rəs , sə-ˈnȯr-əs \

Definition of sonorous

1 :producing sound (as when struck)

2 :full or loud in sound

a sonorous voice

3 :imposing or impressive in effect or style

4 :having a high or an indicated degree of sonority

sonorous sounds such as \ä\ and \ȯ\

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sonorously

adverb

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sonorousness

noun

See sonorous defined for English-language learners

See sonorous defined for kids

Examples of sonorous in a Sentence

He has a deep, sonorous voice.
a sonorous waterfall that can be heard from a considerable distance

Recent Examples of sonorous from the Web

Like a wild, sonorous piano chord struck by someone or something in the middle of the night--where did that come from?--the contemplative aura of A Ghost Story sticks with you.

— stephanie zacharek, Time, "A Ghost Story Chills-and Makes You Wonder," 13 July 2017
The V-6 takes the place of the particularly sonorous naturally aspirated 4.2-liter V-8 that served in the previous-generation RS5.

— erik johnson, Car and Driver, "2018 Audi RS5 Coupe," 28 June 2017
Add to this Joe Martin's sonorous bass work and drummer Marcus Gilmore's propulsive rhythm, and Potter benefited from thoroughly buoyant accompaniment.

— howard reich, chicagotribune.com, "Chris Potter sets off a storm in evening of new music," 2 June 2017
Engine response is near-instantaneous and sonorous, too: induction growl mixes with supercharger whine and exhaust roar.

— jonathan m. gitlin, Ars Technica, "The 2017 Jaguar F-Pace marries sport and utility," 1 June 2017
This rich ensemble reminds you how sonorous and exciting a musical score can sound when the strings, horns and percussion are all real and not processed through a synthesizer.

— christopher arnott, courant.com, "'King & I' A Faithful, But Evolved, Revival At The Bushnell," 31 May 2017
His imperial presence, his passion for spreading the gospel of African dance and his sonorous voice were more than missed.

— gia kourlas, New York Times, "Review: DanceAfrica Excels With Tradition. Why Go Beyond?," 30 May 2017
All five showed off the chorale at its finest: sensitive musicality; sonorous tones, particularly in the men’s sections, and precise diction.

— bob thomas, Orange County Register, "Pacific Chorale, John Alexander at their finest during conductor’s fond farewell," 14 May 2017
Sonorous NPR hosts were among those innovations when All Things Considered, a daily news program, was launched in 1971.

— erin blakemore, Smithsonian, "N.W.A., NPR Among This Year’s National Recording Registry Inductees," 29 Mar. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sonorous.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.