resonate means to vibrate or sound, especially in response to another vibration. It carries an Arena rating of 1817, earned across 12 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, resonate ranks #346 of 17,123 for Most Malleable Words, #594 of 17,116 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #2,550 of 17,120 for Most Beautiful Words, #2,824 of 17,113 for Most Elegant Words.
resonate is pronounced /ˈɹɛz.əˌneɪt/.
Why “resonate” is a great word
To produce a sympathetic vibration, either physically in response to a sound wave or metaphorically within the mind or spirit in response to an idea or feeling. From the Latin resonāre ("to resound, to echo"), from re- ("again") and sonāre ("to sound"). Unlike "resound" (which fills a space with loud, echoing noise) or "agree" (which denotes an intellectual alignment of opinions), "resonate" describes a subtler communion, a harmonic recognition that bypasses conscious assent. It is the wine glass shattering when a soprano hits precisely the right frequency, the quiet pang of recognition upon reading a line of poetry written centuries ago, or the way a childhood song can undo your composure decades later—proof that we are made of matter that answers to frequencies we cannot always name.
verb
- To vibrate or sound, especially in response to another vibration.e.g.“The books on top of the piano resonate when he plays certain notes.”
- To have an effect or impact; to influence; to engender support.e.g.“His words resonated with the crowd.”
- To agree or sympathise, not necessarily perfectly, usually with an emotion, an attitude, or an intellectual position.
Words closest in meaning
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