sonorant

American  

[suh-nawr-uhnt, -nohr-, soh-] / səˈnɔr ənt, -ˈnoʊr-, soʊ- /

noun

1. a voiced sound that is less sonorous than a vowel but more sonorous than a stop or fricative and that may occur as either a sonant or a consonant, as (l, r, m, n, y, w).

2. a speech sound characterized by relatively free air passage through some channel, as a vowel, semivowel, liquid, or nasal.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or having the properties of a sonorant.

sonorant British  

/ ˈsɒnərənt /

noun

1. one of the frictionless continuants or nasals (l, r, m, n, ŋ ) having consonantal or vocalic functions depending on its situation within the syllable

2. either of the two consonants represented in English orthography by w or y and regarded as either consonantal or vocalic articulations of the vowels iː and uː

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Other Word Forms

• nonsonorant
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of sonorant

< Latin sonōr- (stem of sonor ) sound, noise + -ant; see sonorous

Example Sentences

Hüller’s voice begins small before unfurling into a mighty, sonorant exclamation until it’s brought back down again, like a woman who’s reluctant to let herself have too much faith in the impossible.

From Salon • Mar. 21, 2026

Related Words

• booming
• earsplitting
• echoing
• loud
• resounding
• roaring
• sonorous
• strident
• throbbing
• thundering
• thunderous