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stentorian

American  
[sten-tawr-ee-uhn, -tohr-] / stɛnˈtɔr i ən, -ˈtoʊr- /

adjective

  1. very loud or powerful in sound.

    a stentorian voice.


stentorian British  
/ stɛnˈtɔːrɪən /

adjective

  1. (of the voice, etc) uncommonly loud

    stentorian tones

"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

Derived Forms

Etymology

Origin of stentorian

First recorded in 1600–10; Stentor + -ian

Explanation

The adjective stentorian describes a booming voice. If you're teaching a group of unruly kids, you'll need to practice a stentorian voice to be heard above the din. The adjective stentorian comes from Greek mythology. Stentor was a herald in the Trojan War, mentioned in Homer's "Iliad." Homer wrote of brazen-voiced Stentor, whose cry was as loud as that of fifty men together. So anyone with a stentorian voice has a voice like the mythic Stentor. You can also use stentorian to describe a style of speaking that emphasizes boom and power.

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Vocabulary lists containing stentorian

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.

Stentorian tones and a confident stride broadcast her independent spirit.

From Nature • Jan. 28, 2019

The March twilight had fallen, and the Stentorian facade was all aglow, when Undine regained its monumental threshold.

From The Custom of the Country by Wharton, Edith

Another Stentorian bawler, and even a greater nuisance in the same neighbourhood, seems to his unfortunate hearers to deal in “Cats’-meat,” though his real cry is “Cabbage-plants.”

From The Cries of London Exhibiting Several of the Itinerant Traders of Antient and Modern Times by Smith, John Thomas

The Doctor attempted to speak, but his voice was soon drowned by the Stentorian lungs and tautological verbiage of his opponent.

From The Loyalists, Vol. 1-3 An Historical Novel by West, Jane

Hotels with titles like The Stentorian are not exaggerated.

From Ivory Apes and Peacocks by Huneker, James

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