resounding
Americanadjective
-
making an echoing sound.
a resounding thud.
-
uttered loudly.
resounding speech.
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impressively thorough or complete.
a resounding popular success.
adjective
-
clear and emphatic; unmistakable
a resounding vote of confidence
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full of or characterized by resonance; reverberating
a resounding slap
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of resounding
late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at resound, -ing 2
Explanation
Resounding describes something obvious or unambiguous. If it's clear that every single guest had a wonderful time, you can call your party a resounding success. Use this adjective to emphasize how great (or terrible) something is, like your best friend's resounding victory in the student council election, or the resounding disaster of your plan to carpet your bedroom using moss. It's also useful for describing a sound that echoes or reverberates: "The resounding slam of her bedroom door told me my sister was really angry." The Latin root means "echo."
Vocabulary lists containing resounding
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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.
According to clean energy advocates, the program, launched in 2022, has been a resounding success, with the enrolled households creating more than an entire gigawatt of power when state needs it.
From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026
Trump congratulated González-Colón in a letter shared at her January 2025 inauguration saying, “I am so proud of your resounding victory.”
From Salon • May 6, 2026
A year later, the teams played again for England's first official home match and the Lionesses claimed a resounding 8-0 victory in Nuneaton.
From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated Magyar on his "resounding victory", pledging to work with the country's new leadership.
From Barron's • Apr. 12, 2026
I look down, and the answer is right there in my chest and it’s resounding.
From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini
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.
