MURMUR Synonyms: 125 Similar and Opposite Words

murmur 1 of 2

noun

ˈmər-mər

Definition of murmur

as in whine

an expression of dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment finished the tedious job without a murmur

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in muttering

speech that is not clear enough to be understood could just barely hear the murmurs of the audience

Synonyms & Similar Words

murmur

2 of 2

verb

as in to complain

to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely no prisoner dared murmur out loud

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to mutter

to speak softly and unclearly a college professor who tends to murmur

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of murmur

Noun

So even as the national debt recently passed the $40 trillion landmark, there was barely a murmur coming from the party of fiscal responsibility. — David Goldman, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026 In these murmurs, Ullom wonders how much modern technology has led us astray. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026

Verb

In the stands, fans murmured beneath their breath, wondering what new math the Kiffin’s successor could be pondering. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026 Someone murmured something about bacon and eggs being more appropriate at this time of day. — Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for murmur

Recent Examples of Synonyms for murmur

Noun

Our Chesapeake Bay Retriever dog saw them too and enthusiastically let out a small whine.

— Kody Lostroh, Denver Post, 5 Oct. 2026
The mystic whine of Christine Ott and Mathieu Gabry’s score carries us into a hidden world of ancient Thai deities living inside the mountain’s caves and tunnels.

— Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of whine

Noun

From the first take to the last, the scene evolves quite dramatically, and the final take is the one that most closely resembles the scene in the finished episode (though, sadly, Ned’s introductory muttering seems to have been cut for time).

— Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Sep. 2026
The opportunity to send a raucous Bell Centre crowd home muttering was there in Game 3.

— Eduardo A. Encina, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Apr. 2026

Definition of muttering

Verb

That March, a seventy-year-old patient from a wealthy Cypriot family, Evie Lanitis, arrived at BioMed, complaining of a host of minor maladies, including bursitis in her toes, dental pain, and digestive issues.

— D. T. Max, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
In the days before the spill was announced, residents complained of fuel-like odors pervading areas of Dubai and north.

— Kelsey Warner, semafor.com, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of complain

Noun

Davis’s letter follows a separate ethics complaint filed by a conservative watchdog group to the Senate Select Committee on Ethics over Slotkin’s University of Chicago remarks, first reported by the Washington Examiner on Tuesday.

— Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 22 Oct. 2026
According to the complaint, an internal review found that just five brokers controlled 6,345 Ticketmaster accounts holding 246,407 tickets.

— James LaForge, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of complaint

Noun

The landscape flowed in ridges and mountains of faded yellow and whisper pink, where welwitschia–large, low-lying plants that live to be hundreds of years old–sprawled like relics from a Dune film set.

— Samantha Falewée, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Oct. 2026
SteelSeries Gaming Keyboard Deal Keep your keystrokes whisper-quiet and lightning-fast using the SteelSeries Apex 3 TKL Gaming Keyboard.

— Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of whisper

Verb

A little girl pounding her fists and screaming; none of the visitors nor the staff were allowed to hold her to provide comfort.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026
Rays third baseman Junior Caminero screamed in the dugout after Milwaukee had rallied to tie the game.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of scream

Verb

My brother looks at the floor, mumbles something, and then shuffles away from the table.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
After one take — which is usually not worth the celluloid it’s printed on, as the crew and the artists find their feet — Axl mumbled something about being freaked out and disappeared back into the depths of the building.

— Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of mumble

Browse Nearby Words

murky

murmur

murmured

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Murmur.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/murmur. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of murmur

noun

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on murmur

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

milieu

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes