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Synonyms

deafening

American  
[def-uh-ning] / ˈdɛf ə nɪŋ /

adjective

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

    the crowd’s deafening roar;

    the deafening sound of a chainsaw.

noun

  1. deadening.

deafening British  
/ 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

Other Word Forms

  • deafeningly adverb
  • half-deafening adjective
  • nondeafening adjective
  • nondeafeningly adverb
  • quasi-deafening adjective

Etymology

Origin of deafening

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The Afterlife’s deafening silence was filled by the creak and sigh of the woods.

From Literature

"It was still anybody's game and the noise was deafening," said Banks.

From BBC

The incessant sales pitches are buffeted by the usual deafening pounding music, which makes Vin Scully Avenue seem like Las Vegas Boulevard.

From Los Angeles Times

Torak’s new reed cape crackled like dead leaves; even his breath sounded deafening.

From Literature

Despite Evy’s mother growing less responsive each day, the house’s quiet feels deafening — the distinctly hollow sound of silence filling the place where life should be.

From Salon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.