fricative
/ˈfrɪkətɪv/
noun
- A speech sound made by forcing air through a narrow opening in the mouth, creating friction, such as 'f', 'v', 's', 'z', 'sh', or 'th'.
- The English 'f' and 'v' are fricatives produced by the lower lip and upper teeth.
- In phonetics class, we practiced distinguishing between voiced and voiceless fricatives.
- The 'th' sound in 'think' is a fricative that many language learners find difficult.
Antonyms
adjective
- Relating to or describing a speech sound produced by forcing air through a narrow passage, creating friction.
- She explained the difference between plosive and fricative consonants to the class.
- In many languages, fricative sounds like 'sh' are very common.
- The fricative sound in 'sun' is made by placing the tongue near the roof of the mouth.