as in muttering
speech that is not clear enough to be understood
the distracting mutter of some member of the audience
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in to complain
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely
a muttering group of workers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to mumble
to speak softly and unclearly
muttering to himself under his breath
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 mutter
Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
That year an honorary degree was conferred on Jacques Derrida, and when somebody described him as the exponent of deconstruction theory, Brown relates, Prince Philip was overheard muttering that his own family seemed to be deconstructing pretty well.
—Geoffrey Wheatcroft, New York Times, 18 Jan. 2025
The soldiers muttered encouragement; their horses nickered.
—Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY, 6 Jan. 2025
Philippe Myers knelt on the side of Canada’s busiest highway and muttered a few curse words about his luck.
—Joshua Kloke, The Athletic, 4 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mutter
Verb
The van pulled into the street, and the crowd followed, muttering lamentations.
—Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
That year an honorary degree was conferred on Jacques Derrida, and when somebody described him as the exponent of deconstruction theory, Brown relates, Prince Philip was overheard muttering that his own family seemed to be deconstructing pretty well.
—Geoffrey Wheatcroft, New York Times, 18 Jan. 2025
The soldiers muttered encouragement; their horses nickered.
—Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY, 6 Jan. 2025
Philippe Myers knelt on the side of Canada’s busiest highway and muttered a few curse words about his luck.
—Joshua Kloke, The Athletic, 4 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mutter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mutter
Verb
-
Developers themselves have complained that their companies are not doing enough to weed out harassment online.—
Megan Farokhmanesh,
WIRED,
21 Feb. 2025
-
And no one can seem to stop complaining about it—lowering egg prices was even a primary talking point in Trump’s run for the presidency.—
Zoya Hasan,
Forbes,
21 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Some of the dialogue meets the same fate, mumbled or whispered into the swell of Jed Kurzel’s evocative soundtrack.—
Stephanie Bunbury,
Deadline,
15 Feb. 2025
-
Eventually, after a lot of waiting, out came Flint’s Louie Ray, who mumbled his way through a questionable selection of B-sides.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
14 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Preston Turano, a veterinarian and spokesperson at Felix Cat Insurance, told Newsweek that yelling, screaming, and physical punishment should never be used when training or communicating with your cat.—
Mark Joseph,
Newsweek,
23 Feb. 2025
-
Moments after an emphatic two-handed jam in the closing seconds that sealed Sherman Oaks Notre Dame’s 68-61 upset of Harvard-Westlake on Friday night in Studio City, Tyran Stokes clenched both fists, turned toward his teammates and screamed at the top of his lungs.—
Steve Galluzzo,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Divergent aspects of Cage’s language—hypnotically simple harmony in the first, percussive murmuring in the other—complemented the film’s rapt aura.—
Alex Ross,
The New Yorker,
27 Jan. 2025
-
Wrapping a pair of leaves around my wrist, Garcia pressed her thumb into my pulse point and murmured a blessing.—
Gina DeCaprio Vercesi,
Travel + Leisure,
23 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
And that whisper affected several subsequent batches.—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
20 Feb. 2025
-
Casualties of the layoff have turned to online whisper networks such as Blind to air their grievances.—
Brooke Erin Duffy,
Forbes,
19 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Rather than obediently following instructions, the Labrador made his displeasure known in an unmistakably human-like manner—growling, whining and huffing in defiance while facing his owners.—
Tom Rogers,
Newsweek,
20 Feb. 2025
-
In a slice of rich irony, OpenAI itself began to whine a couple of weeks ago when a Chinese rival, DeepSeek, garnered sudden attention.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
17 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Ford decided to mouth his last name at the end, a decision that caused observers to break out in laughter.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
10 Feb. 2025
-
Residents should limit their time outside and dress warmly, making sure to cover their head, face and mouth with a knit hat or scarf, protect their hands with mittens or gloves, wear several layers of loose-fitting clothes and put on water-resistant shoes or boots.—
Adriana Pérez,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Tom’s team needs a last-minute grunt to handle things on their next field visit.—
Kevin Spencer,
Twin Cities,
7 Feb. 2025
-
Her inaudible grunt gives way to another coughing fit.—
Bailey Richards,
People.com,
30 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mutter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mutter. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share