What does reverberant mean?
Reverberant means filled with echoes or characterized by a rich, lingering resonance. It describes sounds that continue to ring after their original source has stopped, as well as rooms, halls, and other spaces whose surfaces reflect sound and create this effect. A reverberant voice is typically deep, powerful, and resonant, while a reverberant space has an unmistakable sense of echo and acoustic spaciousness. The word is especially common in descriptions of music, architecture, rooms, and performances. Although “resonant” is closely related, it focuses more broadly on the strength or purity of a sound, whereas “reverberant” highlights the characteristic way that sound echoes and decays within a space.
adjectiveResounding with echoes; having a loud, hollow, or prolonged sound. It may also describe a space or surface that causes sounds to echo.
- Filled with or characterized by echoing, ringing, or prolonged resonance.
- Producing a strong, hollow, or lingering sound, especially in a space that reflects sound.
"The singer’s reverberant voice filled the empty cathedral."
"The reverberant acoustics of the concert hall gave the strings a rich, expansive sound."
"She spoke in a low, reverberant voice that seemed to fill the whole chamber."
A reverberant room turns a single note into an acoustic conversation, letting the sound return again and again.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of reverberant
The word comes from Latin reverberare, meaning “to strike back” or “to rebound,” formed from re- and verberare, “to beat.” English borrowed the stem in the 16th century in the forms reverberate and reverberation. The suffix -ant forms the adjective reverberant, describing sound that rebounds or echoes.
Related word forms
How reverberant is actually used
Most often used for voices, sounds, rooms, and other spaces in which sound is reflected or continues to ring. It is generally more evocative and descriptive than simply “echoing.”
Easily confused with reverberant
“Resonant” describes a sound or object that is strongly produced or amplified, whereas “reverberant” specifically emphasizes the echoing or lingering quality of sound in a space.