Help!
I quite often come across this problem when I am writing.
Okay, the situation is that one character is performing oral sex on another. The character performing either makes a sound (maybe because of something happening to them), or tries to speak. For example,
"Oh, I'm cumming!" He cried unable to restrain himself any longer.
She gave a muffled acknowledgement without removing her mouth from his massive member.
or
In her ecstasy she raked her nails along his thighs causing him to give a muffled cry of protest.
I am struggling to describe that situation without always resorting to the word 'muffled'. I am not even sure if it is a right word anyway but I haven't yet found a better one. I have looked in a thesaurus, or two, but I have not yet found an alternative.
Suggestions please?
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Help please with suitable synonyms for 'muffled'
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Active Ink Slinger
Here's a few for ya
muffle, mute, dull, damp, dampen, tone down
Synonyms: muffle, wash, stifle, mute, pall, numb, moderate, moisten, weaken, benumb, repress, break, soften, tone down, dull, smother, blunt, deaden, damp, dampen, tame, strangle
muffle, mute, dull, damp, dampen, tone down
Synonyms: muffle, wash, stifle, mute, pall, numb, moderate, moisten, weaken, benumb, repress, break, soften, tone down, dull, smother, blunt, deaden, damp, dampen, tame, strangle
This post comes to you from the original and highly disorganised mind of mine...be scared, I certainly am, lol
I got a similar list but none of the alternatives quite suit the situation. I am not even sure that 'muffled' is the right word, although it is the one I occasionally use. 'Strangled' sometimes works but, again, doesn't quite describe what I am going for..
It's not so much a muting or dampening of sound, but rather that words are indistinct because someone either has their mouth buried in a woman's pussy, or has man's cock in their mouth.
Okay, another way of thinking about it.
How would you describe the speech of someone with a ball gag in their mouth or someone replying to a dentist who has his or her tools in their mouth?
It's not so much a muting or dampening of sound, but rather that words are indistinct because someone either has their mouth buried in a woman's pussy, or has man's cock in their mouth.
Okay, another way of thinking about it.
How would you describe the speech of someone with a ball gag in their mouth or someone replying to a dentist who has his or her tools in their mouth?
Purveyor of Poetry & Porn
"Inhibit" I think may be good...at least some of the synonyms, which I guess have been already mentioned...
inhibit [in-hib-it] Show IPA
Part of Speech: verb
Definition: restrict, prevent
Synonyms: arrest, avert, bar, bit, bridle, check, constrain, cramp, curb, discourage, enjoin, faze, forbid, frustrate, hang up, hinder, hog-tie, hold back, hold down, hold in, impede, interdict, keep in, obstruct, outlaw, prohibit, put on brakes, repress, restrain, sandbag, stop, stymie, suppress, *, ward, withhold
inhibit [in-hib-it] Show IPA
Part of Speech: verb
Definition: restrict, prevent
Synonyms: arrest, avert, bar, bit, bridle, check, constrain, cramp, curb, discourage, enjoin, faze, forbid, frustrate, hang up, hinder, hog-tie, hold back, hold down, hold in, impede, interdict, keep in, obstruct, outlaw, prohibit, put on brakes, repress, restrain, sandbag, stop, stymie, suppress, *, ward, withhold
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Internet Philosopher
Whispered, barely audible, under his/her breath, seductively, quietly, "as if he/ she were unaware he/she were speaking aloud".
Through clenched teeth(okay, not in a BJ scene) his/her words were more of a soft moan, spoke softly, spoke gently, said playfully, intimately.
Much will be determined by the mood you are creating but consider using multiple words to describe why it was muffled or the sensations that caused it.
Through clenched teeth(okay, not in a BJ scene) his/her words were more of a soft moan, spoke softly, spoke gently, said playfully, intimately.
Much will be determined by the mood you are creating but consider using multiple words to describe why it was muffled or the sensations that caused it.
Active Ink Slinger
Just my two pennorth (yes UK money):
Muffled is a perfectly good word for what you want. OED says "Wrap up (a thing) so as to deaden its sound. Limit the audibility of, deaden (a sound). e.g. E. L. Doctorow "All the sounds of the city were muffled by the snow."
Another word with much the same connotations is Stifled e.g. R. Kipling "Fog…stifled the roar of the traffic."
Yet another is Smothered "Be suffocated or stifled; be prevented from breathing freely."
Muffled is a perfectly good word for what you want. OED says "Wrap up (a thing) so as to deaden its sound. Limit the audibility of, deaden (a sound). e.g. E. L. Doctorow "All the sounds of the city were muffled by the snow."
Another word with much the same connotations is Stifled e.g. R. Kipling "Fog…stifled the roar of the traffic."
Yet another is Smothered "Be suffocated or stifled; be prevented from breathing freely."
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I really like the word 'stifled'.
Instead of trying to describe my own sounds, sometimes I try to feed the readers' imagination so they can cook up their own.
"I'm gonna come!" Aiden's warning bounced off the red rubber ball that filled his mouth. Eric could not decipher the words, but the message was clear as it shot through his fingers and hands.
Instead of trying to describe my own sounds, sometimes I try to feed the readers' imagination so they can cook up their own.
"I'm gonna come!" Aiden's warning bounced off the red rubber ball that filled his mouth. Eric could not decipher the words, but the message was clear as it shot through his fingers and hands.
Active Ink Slinger
All words have specific meanings. So, you won't find another word that means "muffled". You may find synonyms that mean similar things but they will all, for example, "stiffled" or "muted", mean slightly different things.
Scot has a very good point. Instead of writing the scene using the word muffled and then trying to replace that word with a different word, try stepping back and describing the situation differently.
So, for example
She gave a muffled acknowledgement without removing her mouth from his massive member.
could become
His massive member, still filling her mouth turned her reply to nothing more than a moan.
Although adjectives are descriptive words, you do not need to rely on them to provide all of the description in your writing. Instead of using a verb and looking for different adjectives to describe it, look for different verbs.
The other point to remember is that we don't just talk with words, so if you want to convey some meaning without intelligible speech, try describing actions and body language.
In her ecstasy she raked her nails along his thighs causing him to give a muffled cry of protest.
could become
In her ecstasy she raked her nails along his thighs. He bit down, groaning through his clenched teeth and glared at her.
Hope that helps you think up some creative ways round your problems
Scot has a very good point. Instead of writing the scene using the word muffled and then trying to replace that word with a different word, try stepping back and describing the situation differently.
So, for example
She gave a muffled acknowledgement without removing her mouth from his massive member.
could become
His massive member, still filling her mouth turned her reply to nothing more than a moan.
Although adjectives are descriptive words, you do not need to rely on them to provide all of the description in your writing. Instead of using a verb and looking for different adjectives to describe it, look for different verbs.
The other point to remember is that we don't just talk with words, so if you want to convey some meaning without intelligible speech, try describing actions and body language.
In her ecstasy she raked her nails along his thighs causing him to give a muffled cry of protest.
could become
In her ecstasy she raked her nails along his thighs. He bit down, groaning through his clenched teeth and glared at her.
Hope that helps you think up some creative ways round your problems
In these sort of situations I do usually have to rewrite the scene and did in this case.
In many ways, actually posting the problem on the forum, and replying to other posts, was really useful. By actually trying to explain what I was trying to do, it helped clarify it in my own mind. On top of that the suggestions were really excellent and made me think.
So, thank you everyone
In many ways, actually posting the problem on the forum, and replying to other posts, was really useful. By actually trying to explain what I was trying to do, it helped clarify it in my own mind. On top of that the suggestions were really excellent and made me think.
So, thank you everyone
Active Ink Slinger
Two I didn't see
"mumbled" and "murmur"
"mumbled" and "murmur"