Resonant describes a sound that is deep, rich, and full, continuing to vibrate pleasantly after it begins. A resonant voice fills a room naturally, like when an actor's deep tones carry to the back of a theater without shouting. Church bells produce resonant sounds that seem to hang in the air and echo across town.

A resonant sound vibrates and resounds, creating that full, lingering quality. A cello produces more resonant tones than a piccolo. When someone speaks with a resonant voice, you feel the sound as much as you hear it.

The word also describes things that create emotional echoes within us. A story might be resonant because it touches something deep in your experience, making you think about it long after you've finished reading. When a teacher's words are resonant, they stick with you and mean something important. A resonant speech connects with its audience in a way that shallow words never could.

Scientists use resonance to describe when objects vibrate at matching frequencies, like when one tuning fork makes another start humming without touching it.