strident
Americanadjective
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making or having a harsh sound; grating; creaking.
strident insects; strident hinges.
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having a shrill, irritating quality or character.
a strident tone in his writings.
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Linguistics. (in distinctive feature analysis) characterized acoustically by noise of relatively high intensity, as sibilants, labiodental and uvular fricatives, and most affricates.
adjective
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(of a shout, voice, etc) having or making a loud or harsh sound
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urgent, clamorous, or vociferous
strident demands
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of strident
1650–60; < Latin strīdent- (stem of strīdēns ), present participle of strīdēre to make a harsh noise; see -ent
Explanation
Something that's strident is loud, grating, and obnoxious. Your roommate's strident laughter as he watches cartoons late into the night might inspire you to buy a pair of ear plugs. Strident is related to the Latin word strix, meaning "screech owl." This is a kind of owl that doesn't hoot. It screeches in a strident way. Strident can also describe the forceful expression of an unpopular opinion. Don't confuse strident with striding, which means walking quickly with a wide step. If you're angry at your brother, you might come striding into his room and begin making a strident case for why he has done you wrong.
Vocabulary lists containing strident
Lord of the Flies
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A Raisin in the Sun
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Grade 12, List 2
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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.
I refused to believe them, and must have been strident enough that my aunt asked my mom if she’d allow me to witness her prepare the chicken casserole she planned to serve that night.
From Salon ● Aug. 7, 2026
His tone has grown more strident as he uncovers more examples of apparent fraud, which he attributes to junior researchers chasing career advancement and senior professors letting misconduct go unchecked to burnish their own résumés.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
It was hard to see what some of Pratt’s loudest and most strident supporters actually thought was worth preserving in the city — but not why they felt he was their man.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
Even the most strident voices that had been calling for interest-rate cuts now say a wait-and-see stance is preferable, given the ever-changing prospects for ending the conflict with Iran.
From Barron's ● Apr. 17, 2026
He’d been in no condition to notice things the day before, but now he saw more clearly the intense color of the water, and heard the strident insect noises from all around.
From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman
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.
