Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Full, loud, and deep in sound: Describes a sound that is impressively rich, resonant, and often powerful.
   • Capable of producing a deep or ringing sound: Describes something, like a material or an object, that can make such a sound.
   • Impressively grand or high-flown in style: Used to describe language or speech that is formal, imposing, or lofty in tone.

Usage Examples

• Describing a sound or voice:
  • The sonorous toll of the cathedral bell echoed through the valley.
  • He has a wonderfully sonorous voice, perfect for reading poetry aloud.
• Describing language or style:
  • The diplomat delivered his speech in sonorous phrases.
  • The sonorous prose of the 19th-century novel can be challenging for modern readers.

Advanced Usage

• "Sonorous quality": Refers to the resonant characteristic of a sound.
  • The cello is prized for its sonorous quality in the lower register.
• Used in technical contexts (e.g., medicine, phonetics):
  • A sonorous rhonchus is a type of abnormal breathing sound heard through a stethoscope.

Variants and Related Words

• Sonorously (adverb): In a sonorous manner.
  • The judge sonorously declared the court in session.
• Sonorousness (noun): The quality of being sonorous.
  • The sonorousness of his voice commanded attention.

Synonyms

• Resonant: (of a sound) deep, clear, and continuing to sound or ring.
• Melodious: Pleasant-sounding; musical.
• Orotund: (of a voice or phrasing) full, round, and imposing (often used of speech or writing).
• Rich: (of a sound or voice) pleasingly deep and full.

Antonyms

• Thin: (of a sound) lacking fullness or resonance; weak.
• Shrill: (of a voice or sound) high-pitched and piercing.
• Muffled: (of a sound) not loud because of being obstructed in some way.

Related Phrases and Idioms

• "Sonorous tones": A common phrase to describe deep, impressive vocal sounds.
  • The lecturer captivated the audience with his sonorous tones.
• "A sonorous silence": A literary phrase describing a silence that feels profound, heavy, or significant, as if it has a quality of sound.
  • A sonorous silence fell over the crowd after the shocking announcement.

Adjective

1. full and loud and deep
   • heavy sounds
   • a herald chosen for his sonorous voice