What does sibilating mean?
Sibilating means making or being characterized by a soft, prolonged hissing sound. It can describe a person whispering, air escaping through a narrow opening, or speech in which the sounds s and sh are especially prominent. The word is more evocative and descriptive than the general term “whispering,” because it draws attention to the hiss itself rather than only to the reduced volume of the voice. As an adjective, it commonly appears in phrases such as “a sibilating sound” and “a sibilating whisper.” As a verb, it describes the act of producing that sound and is often used in literary descriptions of voices, wind, or other sources of steady whispering noise. Although relatively uncommon in casual conversation, it is useful when the quality of a sound is important to the description.
Making or characterized by a soft, prolonged hissing sound.
"She lowered her sibilating voice as she approached the child."
Often used in literary or descriptive writing to emphasize the hissing quality of a sound.
To make a soft, prolonged hissing sound.
"The radio sibilated softly in the corner of the room."
The present participle sibilating follows the ordinary conjugation of sibilate.
A sibilating whisper can seem almost silent while still carrying an unmistakable hiss through the air.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sibilating come from?
The word comes from the Latin verb sibilare, meaning “to hiss.” English adopted the related verb sibilate, from which sibilating was formed. The same Latin root produced sibilant, sibilance, sibilation, and sibilous, all referring to hissing or whispering sounds.
Related word forms
How sibilating is actually used
The term is more common in descriptive or literary contexts than in everyday speech. It often suggests a sustained, airy hiss rather than the sharp sound made by a snake.
Easily confused with sibilating
Sibilating describes someone or something making a hissing sound, whereas sibilant describes a speech sound produced with a narrow airflow, especially /s/ or /ʃ/.