Voiceless Meaning
/ˈvɔɪsləs/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjLacking a voice, without vocal sound.
adjWithout a vote; having no input into a decision.
Sentence Examples
Voiceless screaming was interestingly represented through music notation by Alfred Schnittke: "silence fortissimo".
It seems appropriate to apply these rules to the voiceless consonants.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The singer was ____ after straining her vocal cords, so she could not perform.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He felt ____ in the large company, as he believed that his opinions were never heard by the managers today.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *wekʷ-der. Proto-Indo-European *wṓkʷs Proto-Italic *wōks Latin vōcem Anglo-Norman voizbor. Middle English voys English voice Proto-Indo-European *lewh₁- Proto-Indo-European *lewHs-der. Proto-Germanic *leusaną Proto-Germanic *lausaz Proto-Germanic *-lausaz Proto-West Germanic *-laus Old English -lēas Middle English -les English -less English voiceless From voice + -less.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"How people, with any pretence to decency or cleanliness, can, for a day, sit voiceless and patient and see these brutes destroy and befilth everything, public and private, is difficult to believe."
— 1890, Albert Kimsey Owen, Integral Co-operation at Work ... - Page 105:
"A voiceless song in an ageless light / Sings at the coming dawn / Birds in flight are calling there / Where the heart moves the stones / It's there that my heart is calling / All for the love of you."
— 1994, Loreena McKennitt, The Mystic's Dream:
"I've come to see she is a voiceless person in her world, and so I try to remember to stop and give her my full-faced attention when I see her."
— 2011, Jan Johnson, Living a Purpose-Full Life:
"I feel like hip-hop / Used to be a voice for the voiceless, you know? / And now it's become, at least in the mainstream, a symbol of / misogyny, gay panic, fiscal irresponsibility, you know? / So I figure / if you can't beat 'em / join 'em"
— 2010, Bo Burnham, “Oh Bo”, in Words Words Words:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The singer was ____ after straining her vocal cords, so she could not perform.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He felt ____ in the large company, as he believed that his opinions were never heard by the managers today.