Resonance
noun /ˈrɛz(ə)nəns/ — Deep, full sound that continues to vibrate after the source stops.
Definition
The quality in a sound of being deep, full, and reverberant — continuing to vibrate after the producing sound has stopped; in broader use, the quality of evoking a response, especially emotion or significance.
Beyond the definition
Resonance is why a cathedral and a recording studio produce different feelings from the same voice. Physical resonance is the room holding the sound; emotional resonance is the idea continuing to vibrate after the sentence ends. When something resonates, you feel it twice — once when it happens, once in the silence after.
Origin & history
From Latin resonantia (echo), from resonare (to resound), from re- (back) + sonare (to sound). Used in acoustics since the 16th century; in emotional and aesthetic contexts from the 19th century.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The bass note hung in the stone chapel with a resonance that outlasted the choir.
The phrase had a resonance beyond its literal meaning — it kept vibrating in her thoughts.
His voice had a natural resonance that required no amplification.
Synonyms
reverberation, depth, richness, vibration
Antonyms
tinny, flat, dead sound
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Colors Blending Potential
An artist’s palette is covered in pigments that blend into new, subtle, and lingering shades as the brush moves.
The blending of colors on the palette serves as an analogy for resonance: a quality that continues to vibrate and evolve after the initial action. Just as a sound reverberates, the blending of color evokes a response and sense of significance beyond the immediate stroke.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration