as in muttering
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Dissimilar Words
as in murmuring
to speak softly and unclearly
I can't understand you if you mumble
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mumbling
Sonal Dutt, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2025
Deborah Sengupta Stith, Austin American Statesman, 17 Mar. 2026
But between the copy-paste pessimism and lovesick mumbling, there’s a handful of artists on the edge of the underground rewiring guitars in inventive ways.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 27 Aug. 2025
David Sims, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2026
The van’s speakers played a high-volume mashup of construction sounds, Jordan Peterson lectures, Marine Corps drills, and mumbling voices.
—Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
Jackson allegedly appeared to be in a highly agitated state and was moving erratically and mumbling, police body camera footage shows.
—Kellie Love, Hartford Courant, 26 Mar. 2026
Mustafa said as the man trotted down the stairs, mumbling something—a prayer, a curse.
—Literary Hub, 2 Feb. 2026
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Atlanta police officers responding to the scene found Leon sitting on the ground in handcuffs, acting belligerently and attempting to stand while mumbling.
—Cbs News Atlanta Digital Team, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
Tomorrow morning, New Yorkers across the five boroughs will be nursing their hangovers, mumbling bacon, egg, and cheese orders—and welcoming a new mayor.
—Jocelyn Silver, Vogue, 31 Dec. 2025
After Carol Burnett’s Norma spent much of season one mumbling or unconscious in the background, Sylvia wanted her front and center, driving action in season two.
—Trey Williams, HollywoodReporter, 14 Dec. 2025
After whispering and mumbling my way through the ceremony, I was handed the scroll.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
The stop-motion digital series about a jolly, mumbling, pint-size cook serves up a big slice of serotonin.
—Sonal Dutt, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2025
Noun
And in between, garbled Irish mumbling.
—Deborah Sengupta Stith, Austin American Statesman, 17 Mar. 2026
But between the copy-paste pessimism and lovesick mumbling, there’s a handful of artists on the edge of the underground rewiring guitars in inventive ways.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 27 Aug. 2025
Verb
McKellen can make a terrific meal out of just a few grunts and groans, spending whole scenes mumbling about nothing in particular; meanwhile, Coel comes across as impenetrable, yet alluringly so.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2026
The van’s speakers played a high-volume mashup of construction sounds, Jordan Peterson lectures, Marine Corps drills, and mumbling voices.
—Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
Jackson allegedly appeared to be in a highly agitated state and was moving erratically and mumbling, police body camera footage shows.
—Kellie Love, Hartford Courant, 26 Mar. 2026
Mustafa said as the man trotted down the stairs, mumbling something—a prayer, a curse.
—Literary Hub, 2 Feb. 2026
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Atlanta police officers responding to the scene found Leon sitting on the ground in handcuffs, acting belligerently and attempting to stand while mumbling.
—Cbs News Atlanta Digital Team, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
Tomorrow morning, New Yorkers across the five boroughs will be nursing their hangovers, mumbling bacon, egg, and cheese orders—and welcoming a new mayor.
—Jocelyn Silver, Vogue, 31 Dec. 2025
After Carol Burnett’s Norma spent much of season one mumbling or unconscious in the background, Sylvia wanted her front and center, driving action in season two.
—Trey Williams, HollywoodReporter, 14 Dec. 2025
After whispering and mumbling my way through the ceremony, I was handed the scroll.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 4 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mumbling
Noun
-
From the whistle of a locomotive to the rumble of steel on steel, the trains of Chicago and the Midwest are more than a mode of transportation, given that Chicago has been America’s railroad capital for more than 150 years.—
Philip Potempa,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Every day, the soundtrack of a war no one here wanted — the bass rumble of warplanes, the snare drum of machine guns — grows louder.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The scent of vinegar fills the set, and a crew member wanders by muttering about dyeing Easter eggs.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Then, there’s a dramatic landscape by Jacob van Ruisdael, with gray clouds muttering on high and brighter blues impending in the sky below.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The plant houses 14 rumbling pumps in two football-field sized wings and is one of the most powerful water lifting systems in the world.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Despite being far from the strikes in and around their villages in southern Lebanon, they were reminded of the war by the deep rumbling of Israeli jets and the sounds of deadly airstrikes over Beirut’s southern suburbs.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
This one required extra innings and undid a late surge by their sputtering offense.—
Matt Kawahara,
Houston Chronicle,
19 Apr. 2026
-
If the Jets beat Philadelphia on Saturday, Winnipeg’s locker room is going to be filled with all kinds of belief that the once sputtering Jets can make the playoffs after all.—
Murat Ates,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Shockwaves on prices and murmuring of massive layoffs abound at cocktail parties and in discussions with retail and brand executives alike.—
Greg Petro,
Forbes.com,
11 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
There’s a way to use vocoder and elicit emotion—see Bon Iver or Rosalía—but MORI’s technique shrinks the warmth of his bari-bass to a barely intelligible mumble.—
E.R. Pulgar,
Pitchfork,
10 Mar. 2026
-
The visitors’ locker room inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium was silent, not even a mumble.—
Nicki Jhabvala,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
One thing that sets him apart from a contemporary such as Pieter de Hooch, to whom he is instinctively likened, is a murmur that the stillness may not hold.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
But murmurs of laughter broke out a few times when justices noted constitutional tensions in the case.—
Michael Collins,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mumbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mumbling. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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