Murmured vs Muttered - What's the difference?
murmured | muttered |
(murmur)
(countable) Low or indistinct sounds or speech.
* 1874 , (Marcus Clarke), (For the Term of His Natural Life) , chapter V:
* 1960 , , (Jeeves in the Offing) , chapter XI:
(medicine) The sound made by any condition which produces noisy, or turbulent, flow of blood through the heart.
A muttered complaint or protest; the expression of dissatisfaction in a low muttering voice; any expression of complaint or discontent
* 1919 , :
* 1960 , , (Jeeves in the Offing) , chapter XX:
* 1526 , (William Tyndale), trans. Bible , (w) VI:
(label) To speak or make low, indistinguishable noise; to mumble, mutter.
*{{quote-book, year=1922, author=(Ben Travers)
, chapter=7, title= (label) To say (something) indistinctly, to mutter.
* (William Shakespeare), 1 , II. 3.51
(mutter)
A repressed or obscure utterance; an instance of muttering.
(in Indian restaurants) peas
To utter words, especially complaints or angry expressions, indistinctly or with a low voice and lips partly closed; to say under one's breath.
* {{quote-news
, year=2012
, date=June 28
, author=Jamie Jackson
, title=Wimbledon 2012: Lukas Rosol shocked by miracle win over Rafael Nadal
, work=the Guardian
To speak softly and incoherently, or with imperfect articulations.
* Dryden
To make a sound with a low, rumbling noise.
* Alexander Pope
As verbs the difference between murmured and muttered
is that murmured is past tense of murmur while muttered is past tense of mutter.murmured
English
Verb
(head)murmur
English
Noun
(en noun)- In the prison of the 'tween decks reigned a darkness pregnant with murmurs . The sentry at the entrance to the hatchway was supposed to "prevent the prisoners from making a noise," but he put a very liberal interpretation upon the clause, and so long as the prisoners refrained from shouting, yelling, and fighting--eccentricities in which they sometimes indulged--he did not disturb them.
- A murmur arose from the audience.
- The moment had come for the honeyed word. I lowered my voice to a confidential murmur , but on her inquiring if I had laryngitis raised it again.
- In fear of disease and in the interest of his health man will be muzzled and masked like a vicious dog, and that without any murmur of complaint.
- Glossop will return from his afternoon off to find the awful majesty of the Law waiting for him, complete with handcuffs. We can hardly expect him to accept an exemplary sentence without a murmur , so his first move will be to establish his innocence by revealing all.
Verb
(en verb)- The iewes murmured att itt, because he sayde: I am thatt breed which is come doune from heven.
A Cuckoo in the Nest, passage=“Oh yes,” he murmured in a tone of obligatory surprise, as he proceeded to make the kind of 2 which he attributed to Margaret's style of chirography.}}
- Iheard thee murmur tales of iron wars.
Derived terms
* murmuration * murmurer * murmuring * murmurless * murmurousSynonyms
* See asloExternal links
* (heart murmur)muttered
English
Verb
(head)Anagrams
*mutter
English
Noun
(en noun)- The prisoners were docile, and accepted their lot with barely a mutter .
Derived terms
* mutter paneerVerb
(en verb)- You could hear the students mutter as they were served sodden spaghetti, yet again, in the cafeteria.
- The beggar muttered words of thanks, as passersby dropped coins in his cup.
citation, page= , passage=This set – the set of Rosol's life – was studded with aces and menacing ground-strokes that left Nadal an impotent spectator often muttering to himself and at the umpire regarding a perceived misdemeanour by his opponent.}}
- The asylum inmate muttered some doggerel about chains and pains to himself, over and over.
- Meantime your filthy foreigner will stare, / And mutter to himself.
- April could hear the delivery van's engine muttering in the driveway.
- Thick lightnings flash, the muttering thunder rolls.
