stentorian
- 1Of a voice, loud and booming, powerful enough to address a large crowd.
The sergeant's stentorian voice carried to the far end of the parade ground.
In stentorian tones, the auctioneer announced the final bid over the noise of the hall.
UsageMostly with voice or tones: a stentorian voice, in stentorian tones.
Similarbooming, thunderous, loud, resounding, ringing
Note
The word keeps the name of one man: Stentor, the herald of the Greek forces in the Iliad, famous for the loudness of his voice. It stays close to voices and their sounds (a stentorian voice, in stentorian tones, and in James Joyce's Ulysses a singer's stentorian notes) rather than describing noise in general.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 4 facts
- The word derives from the name Stentor. en.wiktionary.org
- Stentor was a herald of the Greek forces. en.wikipedia.org
- Stentor appears in the Iliad and is celebrated for his loud voice. en.wiktionary.org
- James Joyce wrote Ulysses, which describes a singer's 'stentorian notes'. gutenberg.org
- 2Stern and authoritarian in manner, in a way that demands respect.
Similarstern, authoritarian, commanding, imperious
Practice
Can you tell the meanings of stentorian apart? Answer 1 quick question from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.
Origin
In the Iliad, Stentor was the herald of the Greek army, famous for his loud voice. His name, Ancient Greek Sténtōr, plus the suffix -ian gave this adjective.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- In the Iliad, Stentor was a herald of the Greek army, noted for his loud voice. en.wiktionary.org
- Stentor's Ancient Greek name is romanized Sténtōr. en.wikipedia.org
- The adjective stentorian derives from Stentor plus the suffix -ian. en.wiktionary.org