Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Imitative of natural sounds: Describes words that are formed to imitate or resemble the actual sound associated with the object or action they refer to.

Usage

• The term "onomatopoeical" is used to characterize the nature of specific words. It is a formal, linguistic term.
• It is synonymous with and often interchangeable with the more common adjective "onomatopoeic."

Examples

• Adjective:
  • The words "buzz," "hiss," and "splash" are all onomatopoeical.
  • Children's books often use onomatopoeical words like "moo" and "vroom" to make the story more engaging.
  • The poet employed onomatopoeical language to evoke the sounds of the battlefield.

Advanced Usage

• Linguistic Analysis: Used in literary or linguistic discussion to analyze how sound contributes to meaning.
  • The author's use of onomatopoeical diction creates a vivid auditory experience for the reader.

Variants and Related Words

• Onomatopoeia (n): The formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named (e.g., , ); the rhetorical or stylistic use of such words.
• Onomatopoeic (adj): The more frequently used adjective form, identical in meaning to "onomatopoeical."
• Onomatopoetic (adj): An alternative, less common spelling of "onomatopoeic" or "onomatopoeical."

Synonyms

• Imitative: Formed by imitation.
• Echoic: (Linguistics) Of a word or phrase that imitates the sound it denotes.

Antonyms

• Arbitrary: (Linguistics) Describing the conventional, non-imitative relationship between a word's sound and its meaning.

Adjective

1. (of words) formed in imitation of a natural sound
   • onomatopoeic words are imitative of noises
   • it was independently developed in more than one place as an onomatopoetic term- Harry Hoijer