sonic

[son-ik]

adjective

1. of or relating to sound.

2. noting or pertaining to a speed equal to that of sound in air at the same height above sea level.

sonic

/ ˈsɒnɪk /

adjective

1. of, involving, or producing sound

2. having a speed about equal to that of sound in air: 331 metres per second (741 miles per hour) at 0°C

Other Word Forms

• multisonic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sonic¹

1920–25; < Latin son ( us ) sound ¹ + -ic

Word History and Origins

Origin of sonic¹

C20: from Latin sonus sound

Example Sentences

Its sonic toothbrush cleans up to 40 times better than a manual brush, and the innovative SmartCase keeps it fresh on the road with built-in UV sanitation.

Read more on Salon

On that LP, he explored the aesthetic surfaces of advertising, sampling fragments of jingles and other sonic detritus and arranging them into haunting new shapes.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The blade begins to pick up speed, releasing sonic booms as it flies.

Read more on Literature

Whenever a plane travels that fast, it creates a shock wave called a sonic boom that sounds like a loud clap of thunder.

Read more on Literature

Visually epic, sonically relentless and otherwise fatuous, the film has a dramatic inertia occasionally punctuated by eruptions of utter catastrophe—a series of shocks that leaves you singed, shaken and not much better for it.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• audiovisual 
• auditory 
• aural 
• neural 
• neurological 
• olfactory 
• sensual 
• tactile 
• visual