Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Loud, harsh, grating, or shrill: synonym: vociferous.
  • adjective Forcefully assertive or severely critical.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Creaking; harsh; grating.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Characterized by harshness; grating; shrill.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Loud; shrill, piercing, high-pitched; rough-sounding
  • adjective Grating or obnoxious
  • adjective nonstandard Vigorous; making strides

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective conspicuously and offensively loud; given to vehement outcry
  • adjective of speech sounds produced by forcing air through a constricted passage (as `f', `s', `z', or `th' in both `thin' and `then')
  • adjective unpleasantly loud and harsh
  • adjective being sharply insistent on being heard

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin strīdēns, strīdent-, present participle of strīdēre, to make harsh sounds, ultimately of imitative origin.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin strīdēns, present active participle of strīdō.

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Examples

  • They said they support religious freedom and want to push back against what they called the strident tone of some of the critics.

    Pirates! Man your Women! 2010

  • "You suggest that the review is not being undertaken in good faith because we did not ask you to contribute to what you describe as a strident report," Salz said.

    News from Journalism.co.uk 2009

  • "You suggest that the review is not being undertaken in good faith because we did not we did not ask you to contribute to what you describe as a strident report," stated Salz's letter, seen by MediaGuardian. co.uk.

    Media news, UK and world media comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk 2009

  • Maybe something more strident is ultimately called for.

    Matthew Yglesias » Dollar Dollar Bill 2010

  • The crusade against 'hyphenates' will only inflame the partial patriotism of trans-nationals, and cause them to assert their European traditions in strident and unwholesome ways.

    Trans-national America 1969

  • The crusade against 'hyphenates' will only inflame the partial patriotism of trans-nationals, and cause them to assert their European traditions in strident and unwholesome ways.

    Trans-national America 1916

  • FAIR, by the way, is known as a strident anti-immigration organization that wants to substantially decrease both legal and unauthorized immigration to the United States.

    KansasCity.com: Front Page 2011

  • The three-term Texas governor has touted a record of job growth in Texas and also is known as a strident critic of federal power and an opponent of abortion rights and gay marriage.

    Yahoo! News: Business - Opinion 2011

  • It's like "strident" - not necessarily on whack job street, but not too many exits away.

    BlueOregon 2009

  • It's like "strident" - not necessarily on whack job street, but not too many exits away.

    BlueOregon 2009

Comments

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  • "we're still telling it how it is, but we're less strident"

    January 23, 2009