What does "sounder" mean?
Something or someone who makes a sound.
Sounder
/ˈsaʊndɚ/ adj, noun
adj, noun ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Something or someone who makes a sound.
- Grammar: sounder is listed as adj, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: barometer, closed-circuit telegraphy, code, credible.
- Useful contrasts: defective, flawed, fragile.
- Usage evidence: "But Capys and the rest, of sounder mind, / urge us to tumble in the rolling tide / the doubtful gift, for treachery designed, / or burn with fire, or pierce the hollow side, / and probe the caverns where the Danaans hide."
How to use "sounder"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "sounder" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "sounder" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "sounder" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "sounder" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "sounder" is acting as adj, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "barometer" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "sounder", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Something or someone who makes a sound.
"a telephone with an electronic sounder"
- 2 A device for making soundings at sea.
- 3 A group of wild boar.
"It was not only that there were wild boars in it, whose sounders would at this season be furiously rooting about, nor that one of the surviving wolves might be slinking behind any tree, with pale eyes and slavering chops."
- 4 a device for making soundings wordnet
- 5 An instrument used in telegraphy in place of a register, the communications being read by sound.
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 A person who takes soundings.
- 7 A young boar.
- 8 A stethoscope. dated, plural, plural-only
- 9 A fishfinder.
- 10 Synonym of sting (“brief musical sequence in television etc.”).
Adjective
- 1 comparative form of sound: more sound comparative, form-of
"The Northern Division Traffic Manager has said that there is no present intention of terminating the service, but the hopes previously entertained of expanding it cannot be entertained until it is operating on a sounder economic basis."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
""But Capys and the rest, of sounder mind, / urge us to tumble in the rolling tide / the doubtful gift, for treachery designed, / or burn with fire, or pierce the hollow side, / and probe the caverns where the Danaans hide.""
Common questions
What is a synonym for "sounder"?
Common synonyms include: barometer, closed-circuit telegraphy, code, credible, creditworthy, depth finder.
How do you use "sounder" in a sentence?
"But Capys and the rest, of sounder mind, / urge us to tumble in the rolling tide / the doubtful gift, for treachery designed, / or burn with fire, or pierce the hollow side, / and probe the caverns where the Danaans hide."
How do you pronounce "sounder"?
Pronounced /ˈsaʊndɚ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English *soundere, from Old English ġesundra, from Proto-Germanic *sundizô, equivalent to sound + -er (comparative suffix).
Etymology 2
From Middle English soundar, sownere, equivalent to sound + -er.
Etymology 3
From French sonder.
Etymology 4
Inherited from Middle English soundre, from Anglo-Norman soundre, Old Northern French sondre, from a Germanic language, probably Old English sunor (“herd of swine”), from Proto-West Germanic *suniʀu, plural of *sun (“swine, boar”), from Proto-Germanic *sunaz (“boar”), from Proto-Indo-European *sewH- (“to bring forth, bear, give birth”). Cognate with Dutch zeunie (“trough, drinking bowl”).