What does susurration mean?
Susurration means a soft whispering, murmuring, or rustling sound. It can describe the quiet movement of many people speaking in an undertone, as in a susurration of voices at a gathering, or the delicate sound of wind moving through leaves or grass. Because the word is literary and uncommon, it gives ordinary noises an atmospheric or mysterious quality, suggesting secrecy, intimacy, or a crowd barely audible from a distance. It is more specific and more evocative than the general word sound and more refined than whisper or murmur, although those ordinary terms are usually more appropriate in everyday speech. Susurration is therefore especially useful in formal writing, descriptive prose, and poetic contexts when the quality of a sound matters as much as the sound itself.
nounA whispering, murmuring, or rustling sound, especially one produced by voices, wind, or leaves. The word is chiefly literary and conveys a soft, continuous, often secretive quality.
- A soft whispering or murmuring sound, especially the sound of many voices speaking quietly.
- A low, continuous rustling or whispering sound, such as that produced by wind, leaves, or flowing water.
"Through the open window came a susurration of voices from the garden."
"The susurration of the crowd grew louder as the speaker approached the platform."
"She listened to the susurration of the wind through the dry grass."
The plural is grammatically regular but rarely needed, because the word is uncommon and often refers to a single kind of sound.
"The susurrations of the night seemed to gather around the cabin."
Susurration is the literary name for the sound of a whisper, rustle, or murmuring crowd—and it turns an ordinary sound into something mysterious.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of susurration
The word comes from Latin susurratio, a noun meaning a whispering or murmuring, derived from susurrus, meaning “whisper” or “murmur.” English borrowed it through French, and it developed into a literary term associated with quiet voices and rustling movements.
How susurration is actually used
This is a formal, literary, and relatively uncommon word. It is often used for sounds that suggest secrecy, intimacy, or quiet movement, and it has a more poetic register than the ordinary words whisper, murmur, and rustle.