Meaning & use
Sibilant
Last updated
Making or characterized by a hissing sound, especially as produced by consonants like "s," "sh," or "z."
See it in a sentence
Her sibilant whisper carried across the quiet library.
Linguists classify 's' and 'z' as sibilant consonants.
A note on using this word
Common in phonetics to classify a class of speech sounds produced by forcing air through a narrow channel near the teeth.
Words with a similar meaning
hissing
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Another way to use it
2. noun
A consonant sound characterized by a hissing quality, such as 's', 'z', 'sh', or 'zh'.
English has several sibilants, including the sounds in 'sip' and 'zip'.
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