ululation

Long trembling cry

Ululation is a long, wavering, high-pitched vocal sound—a wail or howl produced by rapid movement of the tongue or vibration of the throat.

The sound appears in mourning, celebration, or ritual across many cultures: Ululations filled the air as the bride emerged.

The verb is ululate.

vocalization

howl

Prolonged mournful cry

wailProlonged mournful cry
cryVocal expression of emotion
shriekShrill, piercing cry

yowl · keen · trill · warble · tremolo · quaver · vibrato · screech · caterwaul · bellow

mourning

keening

Vocal mourning for dead

lamentationPassionate expression of grief
wailingProlonged mournful crying
griefIntense sorrow from loss

dirge · bereavement · sorrow · elegy · requiem · funeral · wake · condolence · anguish · lament

celebration

trill

Rapid pitch oscillation

jubilationIntense, expressive happiness
festivityCelebratory occasion or mood
exultationIntense triumphant joy

cheering · fanfare · revelry · merrymaking · ovation · euphoria · fiesta · gala · carnival · hooray

ritual

chanting

Rhythmic repetitive vocalization

invocationCalling upon higher authority
ceremonialRelating to formal rites
incantationSpoken magical formula

procession · rite · tribal · ancestral · traditional · communal · sacred · spiritual · shamanic · indigenous

Categories

criescry, scream, shout, yell, wail
festive soundsapplause, cheering, cheers, clapping, fanfare
lamentslamentation, wailing, keen, keening, lament
loud criesscream, screech, shriek, yell, howl
mourningfuneral, burial, grief, bereavement, wake
outcriescries, screams, shouts, yells, howls

Opposites

sound presence/absence

ululationsilence

Total lack of sound

quiet · soundlessness · noiselessness · hush · stillness

vocal intensity/volume

ululationwhisper

Speech without full voice

murmur · mumble · soft voice · undertone · hushed tone

emotional expression mode

ululationcomposure

Emotional self-control

emotional restraint · suppression · restraint · repression · stiff upper lip

Family

ululating, ululations

Familiarity: Top 1,000,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Everyday, not technical · Rated G