hissing
noun · adjective
Simple meaning
A fricative sound.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
hisingSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈhɪsɪŋ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A fricative sound (especially as an expression of disapproval)
“The performers could not be heard over the hissing of the audience.”
The sound of a hiss.
adjective
That produces or is accompanied with a hiss
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient
- Frequency
- Rare
- Typical Use
- Primarily written
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A fricative sound (especially as an expression of disapproval)
Used this way, hissing is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“The performers could not be heard over the hissing of the audience.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “hissing of …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Natural pattern: hissing of …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use hissing
- “The performers could not be heard over the hissing of the audience.”noun
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
Make a sharp hissing sound, as if to show disapproval.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: that produces or is accompanied with a hiss
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “hissing” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.