as in rattle
a series of short high ringing sounds the merry tintinnabulation of church bells

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tintinnabulation Though this installation of tintinnabulation has been a feature of the garden for more than a decade, some frequent visitors only noticed the chimes this summer, when a small crew recently installed them in a large linden tree adjacent to Parade Stadium. Kim Hyatt, Star Tribune, 23 July 2021 Shivaree, chthonian, erumpent, tintinnabulation, exonumia, requiescat, deipnosophist, omphaloskepsis, horripilation, deliquesce, apopemptic. Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2021 Two dozen billiard balls roll on tracks, striking a series of devices that set off a tintinnabulation of bells, chimes and metallic clinks. Washington Post, 1 Aug. 2021 The delicate tintinnabulation of Adasiewicz’s vibes dovetailed with Reed’s telegraphic drum work, Reid’s amber cellos lines, Johnson’s silvery trumpet phrases and Heinemann’s warmly resonant bass. Howard Reich, chicagotribune.com, 27 Sep. 2020 Adasiewicz’s score reflects the impressionistic quality Christopher describes, the tintinnabulation of his vibraphone echoed in silvery streaks of melody from Berman’s cornet and washes of sound from Drake’s percussion. Howard Reich, chicagotribune.com, 2 Nov. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tintinnabulation
Noun
  • Baby rattlesnakes don’t have rattles, and adult snakes’ rattles occasionally break off, according to the National Park Service.
    Hannah Poukish, Sacbee.com, 29 June 2025
  • Trains going into and out of the city’s main station rattle past its rooftop playground and restaurant.
    Lily Radziemski, New York Times, 29 May 2025
Noun
  • Bowling balls rumbled down lanes, followed by the clatter of pins.
    Dateline NBC, NBC news, 18 June 2025
  • The chants outside the Islamic Republic embassy, the clatter of Persian tea glasses at gatherings of dissidents in our cramped government housing, the news of bombings and assassinations that stole friends and fellow dreamers.
    Nazanin Boniadi, Time, 17 June 2025
Noun
  • The water fountains are trickling; wind chimes tinkle and shimmer in the breeze, and the store’s seemingly endless lines of indoor and outdoor décor are available to celebrate each season and occasion.
    Emily M. Olson, Hartford Courant, 19 June 2025
  • Amid the tinkle of glassware and clang of cutlery, Saru Jayaraman, an L.A. attorney and president of One Fair Wage, a national coalition pushing to raise wages in the service sector, emphasized the urgency of addressing a steep increase in the cost of living.
    Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2025
Noun
  • Of course, using the app does take away the throwback tradition of waiting to hear the jingle, an earworm that was written around 1960 by Philadelphia’s Les Wass, who passed away in 2016.
    Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 25 June 2025
  • Schwartz once made an experimental montage blending a Coca-Cola jingle with soundbites from Richard Nixon’s Watergate speeches, an evocative and surreal sonic collage that captured the contradictions of American life.
    Ella Jeffries, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 June 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Tintinnabulation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tintinnabulation. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!