as in mutter
speech that is not clear enough to be understood
barely heard mutterings of discontent
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in complaining
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely
a muttering group of workers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in murmuring
to speak softly and unclearly
muttering to himself under his breath
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in mumbling
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of muttering
Melissa Willets, Parents, 15 Sep. 2025
He was also heard muttering expletives down the stretch, visibly battling the heat and pressure.
—Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Aug. 2025
That Longhorns fan muttering about Nietzsche was right after all.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
My husband has been muttering in a loop about tuition, books, food, and transportation to and from home to campus.
—Melissa Willets, Parents, 15 Sep. 2025
He was also heard muttering expletives down the stretch, visibly battling the heat and pressure.
—Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Aug. 2025
That Longhorns fan muttering about Nietzsche was right after all.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muttering
Verb
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In my experience as an outfitter, Altra has always been my go-to suggestion whenever a customer walks in complaining about foot problems.—
Alice Bennett,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Sep. 2025
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Miami is awful, and everyone should’ve known it the minute their players were complaining that their joint practice with the Bears was too tough.—
Jon Greenberg,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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During the video, the person can be heard mumbling and breathing heavily.—
Claudia Lauer,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Aug. 2025
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So meagre, my wife, the one sitting next to her, kept mumbling, ‘Is this it?—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
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His children can be heard screaming and crying in the video.—
Armando Garcia,
ABC News,
18 Sep. 2025
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Dudes who can’t get in get into screaming matches with Jah at the door, and the party extends out into the street where neighbors start peeking out their windows and standing on their porches shaking their heads.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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An Indian woman in sports clothes walks past me murmuring an unbroken monologue into her phone.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The difference there is that Keanu Reeves is unflappable, while Odenkirk has a sputtering quality to him that adds a comedic layer to his bloody lash-outs.—
Katie Rife,
IndieWire,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Porous defense and sputtering rushing attacks.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The result was a ghostly, otherworldly sound that could shift from whispers to booming calls depending on the breath.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Sep. 2025
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The results cast doubt on whether the plumes truly carry whispers of alien life, or merely echoes of lifeless chemistry on the frozen shell.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The cats kept them up each night with their incessant whining and scratching at their doors.—
Duaa Eldeib,
ProPublica,
10 Sep. 2025
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In lesser hands, such a question, especially from a young white male who plays guitar for a living, could come off as whining.—
Joseph Hudak,
Rolling Stone,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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With the job market faltering and new tariffs adding uncertainty to the economy, futures markets are pricing in as many as two additional cuts — totaling 75 basis points — by the end of the year, according to the CME FedWatch tool, which tracks investor expectations for Fed policy.—
Mike Winters,
CNBC,
17 Sep. 2025
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Washington — The Federal Reserve on Wednesday lowered interest rates for the first time since December to support America’s faltering labor market.—
Bryan Mena,
CNN Money,
17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Muttering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muttering. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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