in ‧ au ‧ di ‧ ble /ɪnˈɔːdəb ə l, ɪnˈɔːdɪb ə l $ -ˈɒː-/ BrE AmE adjective
too quiet to be heard OPP audible :
The noise of the wind made her cries inaudible.
—inaudibly adverb :
‘No,’ she whispered, almost inaudibly.
—inaudibility /ɪnˌɔːdəˈbɪləti, ɪnˌɔːdɪˈbɪləti $ -ˌɒː-/ noun [uncountable]
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THESAURUS
■ a quiet sound or voice
▪ quiet not making a loud sound:
I heard a quiet voice behind me.
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a car with a quiet engine
▪ low quiet – especially because you do not want people to hear or be disturbed:
Doug was on the phone, speaking in a low voice.
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I turned the volume down low.
▪ soft quiet and pleasant to listen to:
Soft music was playing in the background.
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His voice was soft and gentle.
▪ silent not making any sound at all:
a silent prayer
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silent laughter
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The machines were virtually silent.
▪ hushed deliberately quiet because you do not want people to hear – used about people’s voices:
They were talking about money in hushed tones.
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The doctor’s voice was hushed and urgent.
▪ faint quiet and difficult to hear because it comes from a long way away:
The men went ahead and their voices got fainter and fainter.
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the faint sound of bells
▪ muffled difficult to hear, for example because the sound comes from another room or someone’s mouth is covered by something:
Muffled voices were coming from downstairs.
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the muffled sound of someone crying
▪ dull [only before noun] a dull sound is not loud – used especially about the sound of something hitting another thing:
He hit the ground with a dull thud.
▪ inaudible too quiet to hear:
The sound is inaudible to the human ear.
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Her answer came in an almost inaudible whisper.