Susurrus
noun /suːˈsɜː.rəs/ — A soft whispering or rustling sound
Definition
A murmuring or rustling sound, as of wind through leaves or low voices in a room — sound that is present without demanding attention.
Beyond the definition
The background music of the living world. A susurrus makes you aware that silence is not actually silence — it is the accumulation of small sounds.
Origin & history
Directly from Latin 'susurrus' (a whispering, a murmuring, a buzzing). One of those words that retained its original Latin form intact into English.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
She could hear the susurrus of other diners — not words, just the warm ambient murmur of a full room.
The susurrus of wind through the reeds was the only sound that night.
Libraries have a particular susurrus — pages, breath, the soft percussion of thought.
Synonyms
murmur, whisper, rustle, sibilance, undertone
Antonyms
clamour, roar, silence
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
Chatting in a busy local cafe
An adult sits at a wooden table in a busy, warm, local café, chatting with a friend using natural gestures.
The background sound of a busy café creates a constant susurrus—a murmuring, rustling sound that is always present. It is the texture of human presence without demanding specific attention, forming the natural atmosphere of the local, unpretentious environment.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration