Ringing — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective verb /ˈriŋ-iŋ/ ring·ing

Meaning & Definition of Ringing

Ringing (adjective)

  1. clear and full in tone, resounding
  2. vigorously unequivocal, decisive

Ringing (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. marked by a high volume of sound

    "an angry, ringing denial of the charges"

    similar: blaring, blasting, booming, clamorous, clangorous, deafening, earsplitting, loud, piercing, plangent, resounding, roaring, slam-bang, sonorous, stentorian, thundering, thunderous
    related: brazen, dinning, discordant, noisy, obstreperous, raucous, rip-roaring, vociferous, grating, harsh, overloud, sharp, shrill, squealing, strident
    opposite: gentle, low, soft
    near: dead, quiet, silent, still, stilly, ultraquiet, calm, dreamy, peaceful, restful, serene, soothing, tranquil, hushed, muffled, muted, softened, toned (down)

  2. marked by conspicuously full and rich sounds or tones

    "sings in a ringing baritone that can be heard throughout the hall"

    similar: golden, orotund, plangent, resonant, resounding, reverberant, reverberating, reverberative, rotund, round, sonorous, vibrant
    related: deep, full, mellifluent, mellifluous, mellow, plummy, rich, loud, powerful, stentorian, thundering, thunderous
    near: cavernous, hollow, faint, low, murmurous, muted, smothered, soft, weak, thin, tinny

  3. not subject to misinterpretation or more than one interpretation

    "whereas other candidates hedged on that issue, he delivered a ringing endorsement of the controversial position"

    similar: apparent, bald, bald-faced, barefaced, bright-line, broad, clear, clear-cut, crystal clear, decided, distinct, evident, lucid, luculent, luminous, manifest, nonambiguous, obvious, open-and-shut, palpable, patent, pellucid, perspicuous, plain, straightforward, transparent, unambiguous, unambivalent, unequivocal, unmistakable
    related: cognizable, cognoscible, comprehendible, comprehensible, digestible, fathomable, graspable, intelligible, knowable, understandable, self-evident, self-explanatory, clean-cut, simple, tidy, uncomplicated, overt, undisguised, appreciable, perceptible, recognizable, sensible, tangible, discernible, noticeable, observable, visible, black-and-white, explicit, trenchant, well-defined, clean, decipherable, fair, legible, readable
    opposite: ambiguous, clouded, cryptic, dark, enigmatic, equivocal, indistinct, mysterious, nonobvious, obfuscated, obscure, unapparent, unclarified, unclear
    near: incomprehensible, indecipherable, unfathomable, unintelligible, unknowable, impalpable, imperceptible, inappreciable, indiscernible, insensible, cloudy, gauzy, gray, hazy, imprecise, indefinite, indeterminate, misty, murky, nebulous, noncommittal, sketchy, slippery, subtle, vague, illegible, undecipherable, unreadable

Ringing (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to form a circle around

    "tall cypress trees ringing the park"

    similar: circling, compassing, embracing, encircling, enclosing, encompassing, environing, girding, girdling, surrounding, wreathing
    related: circumscribing, closing in, cordoning (off), fencing (in), hemming (in), walling, besetting, besieging, entrenching, investing, swarming

  2. to travel completely around

    "the line of season ticket buyers ringed the block"

    similar: circling, circuiting, circumnavigating, circumventing, compassing, encircling, girdling, orbiting, rounding
    related: circumambulating, crossing, perambulating, traversing

  3. to make the clear sound heard when metal vibrates

    "I didn't hear the doorbell ring"

    similar: bonging, chiming, knelling, pealing, tolling
    related: chinking, clanging, clanking, clashing, clinking, ding-donging, dinging, gonging, jangling, jingling, pinging, plinking, plunking, tanging, tingling, tinkling, echoing, resonating, resounding, reverberating

Related Entry: Ring (verb)

Ring is a different word from Ringing. The synonyms below are for ring, not for ringing.

  1. to form a circle around

    "tall cypress trees ringing the park"

    similar: circle, compass, embrace, encircle, enclose, encompass, environ, gird, girdle, surround, wreathe
    related: circumscribe, close in, cordon (off), fence (in), hem (in), wall, beset, besiege, entrench, invest, swarm

  2. to travel completely around

    "the line of season ticket buyers ringed the block"

    similar: circle, circuit, circumnavigate, circumvent, compass, encircle, girdle, orbit, round
    related: circumambulate, cross, perambulate, traverse

Related Entry: Ring (verb)

Ring is a different word from Ringing. The synonyms below are for ring, not for ringing.

  1. to make the clear sound heard when metal vibrates

    "I didn't hear the doorbell ring"

    similar: bong, chime, knell, peal, toll
    related: chink, clang, clank, clash, clink, ding, ding-dong, gong, jangle, jingle, ping, plink, plunk, tang, tingle, tinkle, echo, resonate, resound, reverberate

Related Entry: Ring (up) (verb)

Ring (up) is a different word from Ringing. The synonyms below are for ring (up), not for ringing.

  1. to make a telephone call to

    "our friend rang us up to see if we wanted to go to a cricket match"

    similar: call, dial, phone, telephone
    related: beep, buzz, call in, cold-call

Related Entry: Ringing up (verb)

Ringing up is a different word from Ringing. The synonyms below are for ringing up, not for ringing.

  1. to obtain (as a goal) through effort

    "touted the many diplomatic triumphs that the president supposedly rang up in his first term"

    similar: achieving, attaining, bagging, chalking up, clocking (up) (chiefly British), gaining, hitting, logging, making, notching (up), racking up, scoring, winning
    related: acquiring, capturing, carrying, drawing, garnering, getting, landing, obtaining, procuring, realizing, securing, amounting (to), approaching, equaling, matching, measuring up (to), meeting, rivaling, touching, tying, beating, excelling, outdoing, surpassing, topping
    near: falling short (of), missing, failing (at), losing

Related Entry: Ring up (verb)

Ring up is a different word from Ringing. The synonyms below are for ring up, not for ringing.

  1. to obtain (as a goal) through effort

    "touted the many diplomatic triumphs that the president supposedly rang up in his first term"

    similar: achieve, attain, bag, chalk up, clock (up) (chiefly British), gain, hit, log, make, notch (up), rack up, score, win
    related: acquire, capture, carry, draw, garner, get, land, obtain, procure, realize, secure, amount (to), approach, equal, match, measure up (to), meet, rival, tie, touch, beat, excel, outdo, surpass, top
    near: fall short (of), miss, fail (at), lose

Related Entry: Ring down the curtain (on) (phrase)

Ring down the curtain (on) is a different word from Ringing. The synonyms below are for ring down the curtain (on), not for ringing.

  1. to bring (an event) to a natural or appropriate stopping point

    "The singer rang down the curtain on the performance with her most famous song."

    similar: close, close out, complete, conclude, end, finish, round (off or out), terminate, wind up, wrap up, put paid to (chiefly British)
    related: climax, crown, consummate, perfect, halt, stop, suspend
    opposite: begin, commence, inaugurate, open, start

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Ringing

The most common words with a similar meaning to Ringing:

blaring, blasting, booming, clamorous, clangorous, deafening, earsplitting, loud, piercing, plangent, resounding, roaring, slam-bang, sonorous, stentorian, thundering, thunderous, golden, orotund, resonant, reverberant, reverberating, reverberative, rotund, round, vibrant, apparent, bald, bald-faced, barefaced, bright-line, broad, clear, clear-cut, crystal clear, decided, distinct, evident, lucid, luculent

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Ringing

Words with the opposite meaning of Ringing:

gentle, low, soft, ambiguous, clouded, cryptic, dark, enigmatic, equivocal, indistinct, mysterious, nonobvious, obfuscated, obscure, unapparent, unclarified, unclear

Related Words for Ringing

brazen, dinning, discordant, noisy, obstreperous, raucous, rip-roaring, vociferous, grating, harsh, overloud, sharp, shrill, squealing, strident, deep, full, mellifluent, mellifluous, mellow, plummy, rich, powerful, cognizable, cognoscible, comprehendible, comprehensible, digestible, fathomable, graspable

Near Antonyms of Ringing

dead, quiet, silent, still, stilly, ultraquiet, calm, dreamy, peaceful, restful, serene, soothing, tranquil, hushed, muffled, muted, softened, toned (down), cavernous, hollow, faint, murmurous, smothered, weak, thin, tinny, incomprehensible, indecipherable, unfathomable, unintelligible

Word Forms of Ringing

Derived words: ringingly (adverb)

Origin & Etymology of Ringing

First known use: 14th century

Words & Phrases Containing Ringing

change ringing

Frequently Asked Questions about Ringing

What does "Ringing" mean?

"Ringing" means clear and full in tone, resounding. As an an adjective and a verb, it is defined as: clear and full in tone, resounding. It has 6 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Ringing"?

Other words for "Ringing" include blaring, blasting, booming, clamorous, clangorous, deafening, earsplitting and loud. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Ringing" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Ringing"?

There are 169 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Ringing". Common alternatives include blaring, blasting, booming, clamorous, clangorous, deafening, earsplitting, loud, piercing and plangent.

What is the opposite of "Ringing"?

Antonyms of "Ringing" include gentle, low, soft, ambiguous, clouded, cryptic, dark and enigmatic. Near antonyms include dead, quiet, silent and still.

How do you use "Ringing" in a sentence?

Examples of "Ringing" in a sentence: "an angry, ringing denial of the charges"; "sings in a ringing baritone that can be heard throughout the hall"; "whereas other candidates hedged on that issue, he delivered a ringing endorsement of the controversial position".

Is "Ringing" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Ringing" can be used as an adjective and a verb, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Ringing"?

"Ringing" is pronounced /ˈriŋ-iŋ/ and divided into syllables as ring·ing.

What is the origin of the word "Ringing"?

First known use: 14th century.