warble

Sing with quavers

To warble is to sing with trills, quavers, or melodic variation—the way birds do naturally and humans do when showing off vocal agility.

A warble is such a song or the act of producing one: The canary warbled from its cage.

Separately, a warble is a hard swelling on an animal's back caused by a parasitic fly larva.

birdsong

trill

Rapid pitch oscillation

chirpShort, high avian sound
tweetSmall bird's cry
cheepFaint bird sound

call · sing · songbird · finch · canary · sparrow · thrush · nightingale · lark · robin

vocal

trill

Rapid pitch oscillation

quaverUnsteady vocal sound
vibratoOscillating pitch effect
tremoloRapid tonal wavering

croon · yodel · falsetto · modulate · sing · vocalize · voice · soprano · tenor · coloratura

tremulous

quaver

Unsteady vocal sound

waverHesitate or fluctuate
shakeTrembling or blended treat
trembleShake from fear

flutter · wobble · undulate · oscillate · fluctuate · falter · unsteady · wavering · shaky · quiver

Categories

animal callsbird call, bird calls, ribbit, frog calls, peep
trillstrill, tremolo, vibrato, shake, roll
singingsoprano, lead vocals, vocalist, alto, backing vocals
animal soundsbark, meow, woof, moo, roar
bird soundschirp, birdcall, tweet, bird songs, cheep
confusionconfusion, confused, bewilderment, perplexity, baffled

Opposites

vocal quality and pitch variation

Single unvarying pitch

drone · intone · flatline · hum · chant

sound clarity and steadiness

warblehold steady

Remain constant, unmoved

pleasantness of sound

warblecroak

Harsh guttural sound

rasp · squawk · screech · growl · grunt

Phrases

yellow warblersSmall golden American songbirds

Family

warbler, warbling, warbled, warblers, warbles, warblings

Familiarity: Top 200,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Positive · Everyday, not technical · Rated G