as in vocal
sounding harsh, forceful, and unpleasant
They heard their boss's strident voice from down the hall. The critical questions began to anger the professor and the tone of her answers became noticeably more strident.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of strident
Greene was among a small but strident group of Republicans in Congress who refused to move on.
—
Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 5 Jan. 2026
For two years leading up to the fatal shooting, as police archive video shows, Lorincz constantly called 911 to make false allegations about her Black neighbors, reserving many of her most strident complaints for children who played near her house (on property they were entitled to enjoy).
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 29 Dec. 2025
But Diddy’s striking and strident objection suggests a legitimate fear.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 5 Dec. 2025
Normalizing the relationship could therefore appeal to both advocates and strident opponents of strong ties—a reality that could help advance this paradigm but could also derail it.
—Andrew P. Miller, Foreign Affairs, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for strident
Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 5 Jan. 2026
For two years leading up to the fatal shooting, as police archive video shows, Lorincz constantly called 911 to make false allegations about her Black neighbors, reserving many of her most strident complaints for children who played near her house (on property they were entitled to enjoy).
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 29 Dec. 2025
But Diddy’s striking and strident objection suggests a legitimate fear.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 5 Dec. 2025
Normalizing the relationship could therefore appeal to both advocates and strident opponents of strong ties—a reality that could help advance this paradigm but could also derail it.
—Andrew P. Miller, Foreign Affairs, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for strident
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strident
Adjective
-
With some exceptions, larger animals have larger vocal systems and typically make lower sounds.—
Adithi Ramakrishnan,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
-
With some exceptions, larger animals have larger vocal systems and typically make lower sounds.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Trump has been an outspoken critic of CNN and many of its on-air hosts.—
Meg James,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Texans are already voting early in the March 3 primary between Gonzales and Brandon Herrera, an outspoken gun rights advocate who has made controversial comments attacking Jews and Israel.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The blue light from a phone, too-hot temperatures, too-cold temperatures—even a noisy fan can keep you awake.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Video shows noisy newborn bears Several social media users commented on the noise level coming from the tiny newborn bears.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
25 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
There was more screaming and yelling for people who wanted to get a ventilator available in their home.—
Chris Lee,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2021
Adjective
-
Aerospace history is littered with examples of aircraft developed by one country or company only for a rival to roll out a blatant copy, such as when the Soviet Union launched its Buran spacecraft, which looked like a clone of the US Space Shuttle.—
David Szondy
March 01,
New Atlas,
1 Mar. 2026
-
But there are also blatant inconsistencies.—
Claire Heddles,
Miami Herald,
28 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Strident.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strident. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
