siren
noun · verb · adjective
Simple meaning
A sea nymph supposed to lure sailors to destruction on the rocks where the nymphs lived.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
syruhnSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈsaɪɹən
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 warning signal that is a loud wailing sound
A device, either mechanical or electronic, that makes a piercingly loud sound as an alarm or signal, or the sound from such a device.
Greek mythology
One of a group of nymphs who lured mariners to their death on the rocks.
A woman who is considered to be dangerously seductive
An instrument for demonstrating the laws of beats and combination tones.
A member of a genus of aquatic salamanders of the family Sirenidae, commonly used for all species in the family Sirenidae.
verb
intransitive
To make a noise with, or as if with, a siren.
intransitive
To drive with a siren on.
adjective
Relating to or like a siren.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced (estimated)
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A sea nymph (part woman and part bird) supposed to lure sailors to destruction on the rocks where the nymphs lived
Used this way, siren is a common word with a clearly unfavourable pull. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“Odysseus ordered his crew to plug their ears so they would not hear the Siren's fatal song.”
- Emotional tone
- Negative
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Serious and weighty
- 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.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
The enticing appeal of something alluring but potentially dangerous.
The enticing appeal of something alluring but potentially dangerous.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
Sirens.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
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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.