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strident

adjective stri·dent \ ˈstrī-dᵊnt \
|Updated on: 20 Jun 2018
: characterized by harsh, insistent, and discordant sound
  • a strident voice
; also : commanding attention by a loud or obtrusive quality
  • strident slogans
—

stridently

adverb

See strident defined for English-language learners

See strident defined for kids

Examples of strident in a Sentence

  1. The strident tone in his voice revealed his anger.

Recent Examples of strident from the Web

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

Origin and Etymology of strident

Latin strident-, stridens, present participle of stridere, stridēre to make a harsh noise

Synonym Discussion of strident

loud, stentorian, earsplitting, raucous, strident mean marked by intensity or volume of sound. loud applies to any volume above normal and may suggest undue vehemence or obtrusiveness.
    • loud shouts of protest
stentorian implies great power and range.
    • an actor with a stentorian voice
earsplitting implies loudness that is physically discomforting.
    • the earsplitting sound of a siren
raucous implies a loud harsh grating tone, especially of voice, and may suggest rowdiness.
    • the raucous shouts of drunken revelers
strident implies a rasping discordant but insistent quality, especially of voice.
    • the strident voices of hecklers
vociferous, clamorous, blatant, strident, boisterous, obstreperous mean so loud or insistent as to compel attention. vociferous implies a vehement shouting or calling out.
    • vociferous cries of protest and outrage
clamorous may imply insistency as well as vociferousness in demanding or protesting.
    • clamorous demands for prison reforms
blatant implies an offensive bellowing or insensitive loudness.
    • blatant rock music
    • a blatant clamor for impeachment
strident suggests harsh and discordant noise.
    • heard the strident cry of the crow
boisterous suggests a noisiness and turbulence due to high spirits.
    • a boisterous crowd of party goers
obstreperous suggests unruly and aggressive noisiness and resistance to restraint.
    • the obstreperous demonstrators were arrested

STRIDENT Defined for English Language Learners

strident

adjective

  • : sounding harsh and unpleasant

  • : expressing opinions or criticism in a very forceful and often annoying or unpleasant way

Learn More about strident

  1. See words that rhyme with strident Spanish Central: Translation of strident Nglish: Translation of strident for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of strident for Arabic speakers

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