stentorian
/stɛnˈtɔː.ɹi.ən/
stentorian · adj — loud, powerful, booming, suitable for giving speeches to large crowds. It carries an Arena rating of 1999, earned across 51 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, stentorian ranks #122 of 17,146 for Most Storied Words, #209 of 17,188 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #745 of 17,165 for Most Satisfying to Say, #1,303 of 17,197 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words.
stentorian is pronounced /stɛnˈtɔː.ɹi.ən/.
Why “stentorian” is a great word
STENTORIAN — [Adjective] Of a voice, extremely loud and powerful, as if suitable for addressing a large crowd. From Stentor (the name of a herald in Homer's Iliad, noted for his powerful voice) + the adjectival suffix -ian. Unlike "boisterous," which suggests diffuse, rowdy energy, or "strident," which implies a harsh, grating unpleasantness, stentorian describes a focused, resonant, and commanding authority. It is the drill sergeant’s bark that freezes a recruit mid-step, the judge’s pronouncement echoing in a vaulted chamber, or the prophet’s declamation heard by a multitude on a bare hillside—the human voice, for a moment, imposing its own acoustic architecture upon the chaos of distance.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From Stentor + -ian, from Ancient Greek Στέντωρ (Sténtōr). Stentor was the herald of the Greek forces in the Iliad, noted for his loud voice.
adj
- Loud, powerful, booming, suitable for giving speeches to large crowds.
- Stern, authoritarian; demanding of respect.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
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