as in mutter
speech that is not clear enough to be understood
barely heard mutterings of discontent
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in complaining
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely
a muttering group of workers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in murmuring
to speak softly and unclearly
muttering to himself under his breath
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in mumbling
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of muttering
Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Aug. 2025
That Longhorns fan muttering about Nietzsche was right after all.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
He was also heard muttering expletives down the stretch, visibly battling the heat and pressure.
—Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Aug. 2025
That Longhorns fan muttering about Nietzsche was right after all.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muttering
Verb
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Nah — not very long later, Tony is referencing his Bond obsession, complaining about the generic name of the secret drone-control computer program everyone is battling for here.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
4 Sep. 2025
-
But everybody was complaining and asking for a hot one.—
Andy Wang,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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During the video, the person can be heard mumbling and breathing heavily.—
Claudia Lauer,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Aug. 2025
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So meagre, my wife, the one sitting next to her, kept mumbling, ‘Is this it?—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
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A couple climbed through a sunroof to rescue a 22-month-old screaming child left alone in a hot car, Massachusetts police said.—
Paloma Chavez,
Miami Herald,
4 Sep. 2025
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Kristen raced to the school and found a cop waiting for her as well as firetrucks and an ambulance, where her son was inside screaming.—
Wendy Grossman Kantor,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
An Indian woman in sports clothes walks past me murmuring an unbroken monologue into her phone.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Porous defense and sputtering rushing attacks.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Aug. 2025
-
On an early episode of the show, Friedland opens with a wry, sputtering monologue.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
13 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Davis remembers hearing the whispers of concern.—
Suzette Hackney,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
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Well, the test screening whisper network has said glowing things about it so far.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In lesser hands, such a question, especially from a young white male who plays guitar for a living, could come off as whining.—
Joseph Hudak,
Rolling Stone,
5 Sep. 2025
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And since then, his crying and whining have increased.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The deliberate display of unity is a pointed rebuke to Trump’s faltering attempt to end Russia’s war in Ukraine – and an open challenge to America’s waning global leadership under the US president.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
3 Sep. 2025
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In a market where subscriber fatigue is real and traditional playbooks are faltering, agility may count more than size.—
Jason Wingard,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Muttering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muttering. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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