whisper means the act of speaking in a quiet voice, especially without vibration of the vocal cords; the sound thus produced. It carries an Arena rating of 1999, earned across 29 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, whisper ranks #66 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #238 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #558 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #914 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words.
whisper is pronounced /ˈ(h)wɪspə/.
Why “whisper” is a great word
To speak softly using one's breath without vocal cord vibration, producing a sound of intimate secrecy. Its lineage murmurs back through Middle English *whisperen*, from Old English *hwisprian* ("to mutter, murmur, whisper"), from Proto-West Germanic *hwisprōn*, from Proto-Germanic *hwisprōną* ("to hiss, whistle, whisper"), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱweys-*, *ḱwey-* ("to hiss, whistle"). Unlike a "murmur," which is a low, continuous undersong often meant for no one, or "gossip," which is specifically personal and often malicious, a whisper is a deliberate, breathy articulation for a proximate ear. It is the conspiratorial brush of lips against an ear in a crowded room, the dry rustle of dead leaves skittering across pavement at dusk, the ghost of a voice heard just after the record ends—the threshold where communication becomes intimacy, and language, stripped of its full voice, demands to be leaned into.
Etymology
From Middle English whisperen, from Old English hwisprian (“to mutter, murmur, whisper”), from Proto-West Germanic *hwisprōn, from Proto-Germanic *hwisprōną (“to hiss, whistle, whisper”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱweys-, *ḱwey- (“to hiss, whistle, whisper”). Cognate with Dutch wisperen (“to whisper”), German wispern (“to mumble, whisper”). Related also to Danish hviske (“to whisper”), Icelandic hvískra (“to whisper”), Norwegian Bokmål hviske, kviskre (“to whisper”), Norwegian Nynorsk kviskre, kviskra (“to whisper”), Swedish viska (“to whisper”). More at English whistle.
noun
- The act of speaking in a quiet voice, especially without vibration of the vocal cords; the sound thus produced.e.g.“I spoke in a near whisper.”
- A rumor.e.g.“There are whispers of rebellion all around.”
- A faint trace or hint (of something).e.g.“The soup had just a whisper of basil.”
- A low rustling sound, like that of the wind in leaves.
- A private message to an individual in a chat room.e.g.“The invisibility of private interactions in the form of whispers resolved an ethical concern in the research but reduced our ability to gauge the volume of interaction […]” — 2002, Ralph Schroeder, The Social Life of Avatars, page 218:
- A projection of intention and influence caused by sending thoughts or desires outward through softly-spoken words or subtle mental or energetic means.
verb
- To speak softly or under one's breath, so as to be heard only by one near at hand; to utter words without sonant breath; to talk without that vibration of the vocal cords which gives sonorous, or vocal, sound.e.g.“I can hear them whisper as we pass by
It's a bad sign, bad sign” — 2014 October 27, Taylor Swift, Ryan Tedder, “I Know Places (Taylor's Version)”, in 1989 (Taylor's Version), performed by Taylor Swift, published 27 October 2023:
- To say (something) softly or under one's breath, so as to be heard only by one near at hand; to utter (something) without sonant breath, without that vibration of the vocal cords which gives sonorous, or vocal, sound.e.g.“Whether he whispered sweet nothings to her in Stengelese is not known, but he did call her "the best catch I ever made in my career."” — 1981 April 15, Ira Berkow, “DRAMA IN 'STENGELESE: YOU CAN LOOK IT UP”, in The New York Times:
- To mention privately and confidentially, or in a whisper.e.g.“They might buzz and whisper it one to another.” — 1692, Richard Bentley, [A Confutation of Atheism] (please specify the sermon), London: [Thomas Parkhurst; Henry Mortlock], published 1692–1693:
- To make a low, sibilant sound.e.g.“the hollow, whispering breeze” — a. 1749 (date written), James Thomson, “Spring”, in The Seasons, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, and sold by Thomas Cadell, […], published 1768, →OCLC:
- To speak with suspicion or timorous caution; to converse in whispers, as in secret plotting.e.g.“All that hate me whisper together against me.” — 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 41:7:
- To address in a whisper, or low voice.e.g.“and whisper one another in the ear” — c. 1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Iohn”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]
- To prompt secretly or cautiously; to inform privately.e.g.“He came to whisper Wolsey.” — 1613 (date written), William Shakespeare, [John Fletcher], “The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), Lon
- To send a private message to an individual in a chat room.
- To exercise skill in taming or training a creature.
- To project intention and influence events by sending thoughts or desires outward through softly-spoken words or subtle mental or energetic means; to subject someone or something to this influence.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).