Resounding means loud and clear, echoing powerfully through a space. When a gong strikes in an empty hall, it makes a resounding boom that seems to fill every corner and linger in the air. Thunder produces a resounding crash that rattles windows and announces the storm's arrival.

The word also describes something impressively decisive or unmistakable. A resounding victory isn't a close win where the final score was 51 to 49. It's a triumph so complete that no one questions who won: think 98 to 12. When a school play receives resounding applause, the clapping isn't polite and scattered but enthusiastic and thunderous, filling the auditorium.

Politicians hope for resounding election victories. Scientists celebrate resounding success when their experiments work spectacularly well. The word carries a sense of something that can't be ignored or dismissed. Just as a resounding noise demands your attention, a resounding success makes everyone take notice. When your hard work leads to results that speak for themselves, clearly and powerfully, those results are resounding.