ululations
Long wavering howls
Ululations are long, wavering, high-pitched vocal sounds—cries that rise and fall in pitch.
The term typically describes sounds of grief or celebration in traditional cultures, where women produce them by rapidly moving the tongue while vocalizing: Ululations filled the air as the bride arrived.
The word can also describe similar sounds from animals, especially wolves or owls.
Vocal mourning for dead
- wailingProlonged mournful crying
- lamentationPassionate expression of grief
- griefIntense sorrow from loss
- funeralService honoring the dead
dirge · sorrow · anguish · weeping · bereavement · cries · women · procession
Rapid note alternation
- criesWeeps or shouts
- voicesSounds producing speech
- womenFemale adults collectively
- weddingMarriage rite and feast
victory · joy · exultation · jubilation · cheers · festivity · revelry · fanfare
keening
Vocal mourning for dead
- wailingProlonged mournful crying
- lamentationPassionate expression of grief
- griefIntense sorrow from loss
funeral · dirge · sorrow · anguish · weeping · bereavement · cries · women · procession · death
trilling
Rapid note alternation
wedding · victory · joy · exultation · jubilation · cheers · festivity · revelry · fanfare · triumph
howl
Prolonged mournful cry
call · wild · nocturnal · primal · echo · wilderness · eerie · haunting · cry · screech
chanting
Rhythmic repetitive vocalization
rites · incantation · spiritual · ancestors · invocation · worship · trance · communal · tradition · procession
ululationswhispers
Speaks very quietly
murmurs · hushed tones · muttering · mumbling · undertones
ululationsmonotone
Single unvarying pitch
droning · grunts · growls · low rumble · bass notes