sibilance

American  

[sib-uh-luhns] / ˈsɪb ə ləns /

Rarely sibilancy

noun

1. a hissing quality of sound, or the hissing sound itself.

   I stretched out comfortably in my sleeping bag, peering up at the stars and listening to the ocean's gentle sibilance.

   The older, poorer quality recordings had more than a hint of sibilance.

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Other Word Forms

• nonsibilance noun
• subsibilance noun

Etymology

Origin of sibilance

First recorded in 1800–10; sibil(ant) ( def. ) + -ance ( def. )

Example Sentences

Similarly, on “JumpOutTheHouse,” he delivers the titular refrain by accentuating the sibilance in the word “house” so that it sounds like the word is cleaving the air as it gets pulled down to earth.

From Washington Post • Dec. 9, 2021

Burmese Days by George Orwell The sweet sibilance of the title alone makes this a compulsory choice.

From The Guardian • Jul. 10, 2019

In a quiet room, there’s a detectable measure of sibilance to the Be Live5 sound, but that tends to be the price you have to pay to get sound that’s enjoyable in noisier environs.

From The Verge • Aug. 21, 2018

Mr. Lucci gives Gross immense dignity without shrinking at all from his flamboyance; he italicizes italics and turns sibilance into music.

From New York Times • May 6, 2018

The deletions are tempting to a writer because they tighten up a sentence’s rhythm and avoid the ugly sibilance of which.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

Related Words

• catcall
• hoot