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mutter

verb · noun

Simple meaning

Talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

muhter

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈmʌtɚ

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.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

  1. Talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice

    “He muttered something under his breath that nobody could understand.”

  2. transitiveintransitive

    To utter words, especially complaints or angry expressions, indistinctly or with a low voice and lips partly closed; to say under one's breath.

  3. To speak softly and incoherently, or with imperfect articulations.

  4. To make a sound with a low, rumbling noise.

noun

  1. A repressed or obscure utterance; an instance of muttering.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C2 · Proficient
Frequency
Rare

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: Talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice

Used this way, mutter is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Heard in a sentence
“He muttered something under his breath that nobody could understand.”
Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

mutter courageseine muttermutter museum

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Similar Words, What’s the Difference?

Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.

  • mumble

    Talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice.

  • grumble

    To complain; to murmur or mutter with discontent; to make ill-natured complaints in a low voice and a surly manner.

  • murmur

    To grumble; to complain in a low, muttering voice, or express discontent at or against someone or something.

  • croak

    To utter in a low, hoarse voice.

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

  • muttnounBase word

    An inferior dog or one of mixed breed.

  • mutteringnounInflected form

    A low continuous indistinct sound.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: talk indistinctly

murmur

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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.