Dictionary

voiceless en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ˈvɔɪsləs/
• (US) audio

Etymology

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.

Meanings

1. (not-comparable) Lacking a voice, without vocal sound.
   • 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:
   • 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:
2. (figuratively, not-comparable) Without a vote; having no input into a decision.
   • 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:
3. (not-comparable, of a consonant or vowel) Spoken without vibration of the vocal cords; unvoiced, surd, breathed. Examples: [t], [s], [f], [m̥], [u̥].

Antonyms

voiced · vocal · voiced · audible

Deriveds

prevoiceless · pre-voiceless · voicelessly · voicelessness

Relateds

speechless

Synonyms

inaudible · unvoiced · unvoiced · silent

Translations (93)

bn অঘোষ (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · uk безголо́сний (lacking a voice, without vocal sound) · ro fără voce (lacking a voice, without vocal sound) · gv neughlaragh (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · ru беззву́чный (lacking a voice, without vocal sound) · be бязгу́чны (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · lt bebalsis (lacking a voice, without vocal sound) · ja 無声 (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · bg беззвучен (lacking a voice, without vocal sound) · ja 清 (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · kk үнсіз (lacking a voice, without vocal sound) · hy շնչեղ խուլ (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · mn дуугүй (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · uk безголо́сий (lacking a voice, without vocal sound) · pl bezdźwięczny (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · hu hangtalan (lacking a voice, without vocal sound) · ro surd (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · pt surdo (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · ru безгла́сный (lacking a voice, without vocal sound) · ar مَهْمُوس (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · bg беззву́чен (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · is óraddaður (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · cy di-lais (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · be бязгу́чны (lacking a voice, without vocal sound) · cs neznělý (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · pl niemy (lacking a voice, without vocal sound) · fi mykkä (lacking a voice, without vocal sound) · az kar (lacking a voice, without vocal sound) · de tonlos (lacking a voice, without vocal sound) · nv doo yolzóoz da (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · eo senvoĉa (lacking a voice, without vocal sound) · gd neo-ghuthach (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · gv gyn coraa (lacking a voice, without vocal sound) · xal дун уга (lacking a voice, without vocal sound) · nn ustemd (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · it sordo (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · de stimmlos (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · sh bezvučni (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · hy պարզ խուլ (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · gv neuchoraait (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · sv tonlös (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · hi अघोष (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · sco voiceless (lacking a voice, without vocal sound) · ka უხმო (lacking a voice, without vocal sound) · pl bezgłośny (lacking a voice, without vocal sound) · hy խուլ (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · vi vô thanh (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · pl bezdźwięczny (lacking a voice, without vocal sound) · be безгало́сы (lacking a voice, without vocal sound) · ru безголо́сый (lacking a voice, without vocal sound) · fr sourd (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · ja 暗黙の (lacking a voice, without vocal sound) · ga neamhghlórach (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · fr aphone (lacking a voice, without vocal sound) · be глухі́ (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · is raddlaus (lacking a voice, without vocal sound) · az kar (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · gl xordo (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · fi äänetön (lacking a voice, without vocal sound) · dsb njespiwny (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · uk беззву́чний (lacking a voice, without vocal sound) · ru глухо́й (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · da ustemt (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · sv tonlös (lacking a voice, without vocal sound) · gv neughooagh (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · nb ustemt (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · ro mut (lacking a voice, without vocal sound) · bg безгласен (lacking a voice, without vocal sound) · ko 무성 (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · grc ἄφωνος (lacking a voice, without vocal sound) · tr sessiz (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · gv balloo (lacking a voice, without vocal sound) · ka მუნჯი (lacking a voice, without vocal sound) · ka ყრუ (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · ru немо́й (lacking a voice, without vocal sound) · uk глухи́й (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · cmn 清 (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · el άηχος (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · es sordo (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · cmn 無聲 /无声 (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · kk үнсіз (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · sco voiceless (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · es mudo (lacking a voice, without vocal sound) · uk безголо́сний (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · mn ᠳᠠᠭᠤ ᠦᢉᠡᠢ (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · pt mudo (lacking a voice, without vocal sound) · fi soinniton (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · nl stemloos (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · ja 無言の (lacking a voice, without vocal sound) · mk безгласен (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · hu néma (lacking a voice, without vocal sound) · hu zöngétlen (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords) · xal дүлә (phonetics, of a consonant: spoken without vibration of the vocal cords)