Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for deafening

deafening

[ def-uh-ning ]

adjective

  1. overwhelmingly loud; booming; earsplitting: the deafening sound of a chainsaw.

    the crowd’s deafening roar;

    the deafening sound of a chainsaw.



deafening

/ ˈdɛfənɪŋ /

adjective

  1. excessively loud

    deafening music

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


Discover More

Derived Forms

  • ˈdeafeningly, adverb
Discover More

Other Words From

  • half-deaf·en·ing adjective
  • non·deaf·en·ing adjective
  • non·deaf·en·ing·ly adverb
  • qua·si-deaf·en·ing adjective
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of deafening1

First recorded in 1590–1600; deafen + -ing 1
Discover More

Example Sentences

These bolts of raw electricity ricochet through thin air, arcing from stormy skies and blasting whatever they hit with a deafening roar.

By themselves, the images play a quiet drumbeat, but collectively they create a deafening boom that lays bare the harsh reality of inequality in America.

From Time

Close your eyes and listen carefully to the deafening sound of the furious water crashing into rock, much like the screams of people past, at least according to one terrifying legend.

From Ozy

To woo females, male cicadas emit an ear-splitting mating call—muscle contractions cause their tymbal organ to vibrate, and their hollow abdomen amplifies the sound to deafening levels.

From Time

It also pledged to review the “Arrowhead Chop” that accompanies the deafening war chant that echoes through the stands of the notoriously loud venue.

They know they will face either a swift backlash or deafening silence.

Internet chatter rose to a deafening roar as speculation began about what—plastic surgery?

Any upcoming release of a new Apple product guarantees a deafening cacophony of idle speculation from tech sites.

He joked about the deafening noise levels in the old C-130 transport planes and sex at his age, then approaching 60.

Then a deafening cheer, as 50,000 people realized at once we had just experienced a major earthquake.

Instead of the quiet, silent scholars, you would hear a loud and deafening buzz.

The Koreans call this noise kang-siong, and it seems almost deafening to one unused to it.

And then the Monitor's deafening hammer sounded again, and after that, silence.

The creature kept up a deafening squealing, while out of the bush rushed Dandy, the farmers dog.

A deafening crash of thunder fell upon the forest and the lightning was striking trees far and near.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


deafendeaf-mute