stridence
Grating vocal quality
Stridence is the quality of being strident—harsh, grating, or aggressively insistent.
The word applies to sounds that cut unpleasantly through the air, like a shrill voice or grinding machinery, but extends to manner and tone: The stridence of his criticism alienated potential allies.
Less common than stridency, which carries the same meaning.
High-pitched and harsh
- gratingCrossed bars or harsh
- piercingPenetrating or very sharp
- screechingMaking harsh high sounds
- harshUnpleasantly severe or rough
jarring · cacophony · dissonance · earsplitting · raucous · discordant · shriek · squawk
Public display of opinion
- activismDirect effort for reform
- rallyGathering for a cause
- chantRepetitive rhythmic phrase
- sloganMemorable promotional phrase
placard · picket · outcry · demand · grievance · march · dissent · opposition
Intensely forceful in feeling
- forcefulExerting strong pressure
- insistentFirmly demanding attention
- aggressiveHostile and confrontational
- vociferousLoudly and forcefully expressive
stentorian · thunderous · emphatic · unrelenting · urgent · fervent · impassioned · assertive
Opposition between parties
- tensionStretched or strained state
- frictionResistance between touching surfaces
- antagonismActive opposition or hostility
- contentionAssertion or rivalry
disagreement · clash · dispute · quarrel · acrimony · hostility · divisiveness · polarization
shrill
High-pitched and harsh
- gratingCrossed bars or harsh
- piercingPenetrating or very sharp
- screechingMaking harsh high sounds
harsh · jarring · cacophony · dissonance · earsplitting · raucous · discordant · shriek · squawk · screech
demonstration
Public display of opinion
slogan · placard · picket · outcry · demand · grievance · march · dissent · opposition · resistance
vehement
Intensely forceful in feeling
- forcefulExerting strong pressure
- insistentFirmly demanding attention
- aggressiveHostile and confrontational
vociferous · stentorian · thunderous · emphatic · unrelenting · urgent · fervent · impassioned · assertive · relentless
conflict
Opposition between parties
- tensionStretched or strained state
- frictionResistance between touching surfaces
- antagonismActive opposition or hostility
contention · disagreement · clash · dispute · quarrel · acrimony · hostility · divisiveness · polarization · rancor
stridencemellowness
Soft, relaxed quality
softness · melodiousness · dulcet tones · mellifluousness · smoothness
stridencegentleness
Soft, kind demeanor
mildness · understatement · moderation · restraint · diplomacy