What does resounding mean?
Resounding describes a sound that echoes loudly or carries through a space, and it can also characterize something achieved or received with emphatic force. In figurative expressions such as “a resounding success,” “resounding approval,” and “a resounding victory,” it indicates that the outcome is complete, conspicuous, and beyond question. The word often appears in formal reports, journalism, and ceremonial descriptions, where its emphatic quality helps emphasize a major success or widespread reaction. It can also be used with negative outcomes, as in “a resounding failure,” but the underlying idea remains that the result is strikingly significant. Resounding is more forceful than ordinary words such as “echoing,” because it suggests both a prominent sound and, figuratively, a decisive impact.
Echoing loudly or continuously; producing a strong, resonant sound.
"A resounding crash echoed through the building."
This literal sense emphasizes the volume, resonance, or persistence of a sound.
Emphatic, unmistakable, or unqualified, especially of success, failure, approval, or victory.
"The concert was a resounding success."
This figurative sense is common in formal and journalistic prose and often highlights the scale or certainty of an outcome.
A success can be loud in more ways than one: a “resounding success” is both emphatic and impossible to misinterpret.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does resounding come from?
Resounding was formed in the early 19th century from the verb “resound” and the suffix “-ing.” The verb “resound” comes from re-, meaning “again,” and “sound,” in the sense of making or being heard. Both elements ultimately relate to the Latin word “sonare,” meaning “to sound,” which also underlies words such as “sonorous,” “resonance,” and “consonant.”
Related word forms
How resounding is actually used
The figurative sense is commonly used with words such as “success,” “victory,” “approval,” and “ovation.” It is strongly positive when describing achievement or approval, while a “resounding failure” emphatically emphasizes failure.
Easily confused with resounding
Resounding describes a sound that echoes loudly or a figurative result that is emphatically successful, whereas resonant more often describes a sound's quality or the ability to resonate.
Sounding can mean making a sound or being tentatively valid, while resounding specifically emphasizes loudness, echoing, or emphatic achievement.