zinging, adj.

zinging
http://www.oed.com/dictionary/zinging_adj%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_use
Revised 2021

# zingingadjective

## Factsheet

### What does the adjective zinging mean?

There are five meanings listed in OED's entry for the adjective zinging. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

### How common is the adjective zinging?

About 0.01occurrences per million words in modern written English

1930 | 0.0038
1940 | 0.0044
1950 | 0.0055
1960 | 0.007
1970 | 0.0097
1980 | 0.012
1990 | 0.014
2000 | 0.016
2010 | 0.018

### How is the adjective zinging pronounced?

#### British English

/ˈzɪŋɪŋ/
ZING-ing

#### U.S. English

/ˈzɪŋɪŋ/
ZING-ing

### Where does the adjective zinging come from?

Earliest known use

1910s

The earliest known use of the adjective zinging is in the 1910s.

OED's earliest evidence for zinging is from 1915, in Boston Evening Globe.

zinging is formed within English, by derivation.

Etymons: zing v., ‑ing suffix2.

### Nearby entries

1. zingel, n. 1803–
2. zingelin perch, n. 1803
3. zinger, n. 1906–
4. Zingg, n. 1941–
5. zingho, n. 1743
6. zingiber, n.?1720–
7. zingiberaceous, adj. 1821–
8. zingily, adv. 1951–
9. zinginess, n. 1938–
10. zinging, n. 1921–
11. zinging, adj.1915–
12. zingingly, adv. 1952–
13. zingo, int. 1906–
14. zingy, adj. 1938–
15. Zinjanthropus, n. 1959–
16. zinke, n. 1773–
17. zinnia, n. 1761–
18. zinnober green, n. 1879–
19. zinnwaldite, n. 1850–
20. zino, n. 1982–
21. Zinovievite, adj. & n. 1936–

## Etymology

### Summary

Formed within English, by derivation.
< zing v. + ‑ing suffix2.

## Meaning & use

colloquial (originally U.S.).

1. 1. 1.a.
      1915–
      Designating something (esp. a rapidly moving object) making a sharp, high-pitched ringing or whining sound. Also more generally: designating something moving, hit, or thrown with great speed.
      1. 1915

         > You reasoned that the bullets which detonated like loud toy torpedoes, in the mud, on trees, on brick, were the ones to ignore. The singing, zinging ones that passed you by were the devils that might...

         Boston Evening Globe 27 February (Evening edition) 1/4
      2. 1934

         > A zinging drive down the fairway.

         Hammond (Indiana) Times 14 April (Final edition) 7/4 (advertisement)
      3. 1952

         > He took the opposite direction with the sound of zinging bullets to bring him back.

         Courier (Pittsburgh) 13 September (City edition) 22/1
      4. 2007

         > It was the instant noise level that set him off: zinging machines, musical dancing animals, and kids shrieking.

         A. Boushéy, Talking Teenagers 76
      5. 2016

         > Penrose peeled off a zinging shot that Donegal goalkeeper Paul Durcan got a big toe on.

         Belfast Telegraph (Nexis) 16 July (Sport section) 46
      U.S. English colloquial and slang
   2. 1.b.
      1930–
      Designating a sharp, high-pitched ringing or whining sound, esp. one made by a rapidly moving object.
      1. 1930

         > Before he could move, a thin, zinging sound slit the hot stillness.

         C. B. Moten, Black Lily in Pittsburgh Courier 6 December ii. 3/1
      2. 1970

         > There was a sharp pop, a clang, and the zinging noise of a ricocheting bullet.

         ‘D. Halliday’, Dolly & Cookie Bird xi. 170
      3. 1978

         > The air was..full of the zinging cries of cicadas.

         G. Durrell, Garden of Gods iii. 59
      4. 1990

         > Jimy would..shoot his pistol at the boulders, causing the bullets to ricochet all around with mean, zinging whines.

         R. Bass in S. Ravenel, New Stories from South (1991) 207
      U.S. English colloquial and slang
      1. pinging 1865–
         That makes a short, resonant, high-pitched sound; that pings.
      2. zinging 1930–
         Designating a sharp, high-pitched ringing or whining sound, esp. one made by a rapidly moving object.
      View in Historical Thesaurus
2. 2.
   1931–
   That abounds with energy or excitement; vibrant, lively.
   1. 1931

      > Work better. Play heartier. Glory in that zinging urge that overflows from a body perfectly fit.

      Manitoba Free Press 11 May 9/3 (advertisement)
   2. 1985

      > A lovely zinging pleasure passed through me.

      A. Rice, Vampire Lestat 100
   3. 2004

      > Price aims to sustain a zinging palette of color combinations.

      House Beautiful April 114
   4. 2015

      > If shows this bold and popular haven't made the cut, what has? The answer, of course, is plenty of similarly zinging fare, from Sherlock to Peaky Blinders to Marvellous.

      Radio Times 9 May (South/West edition) 54/1
   U.S. English colloquial and slang
   1. lively Old English–
      Vigorous, energetic, active, brisk. Of a person, a person's physical or mental faculties, or an activity sustained by a person. Also of an animal.
   2. sprind Old English–1350
      Vigorous, strong.
   3. kask c1300
      Active, vigorous.
   4. wight c1300–
      Strong, vigorous, robust, stalwart, mighty; exercising strength, energetic (passing into A.3).
   5. courageous c1386–1577
      Full of virile force; lively, lusty, vigorous.
   6. wieldy a1413–1916
      Capable of moving with ease; physically able (to do something); vigorous, active; agile, nimble. Obsolete.
   7. able c1440–
      Now Scottish, Irish English (northern), and Newfoundland. Of a person, the body, etc.: having general physical strength; vigorous, powerful…
   8. wighty c1475–
      = wight, adj.
   9. tall of hand 1530–1632
      Phrase tall of (his, her) hand(s): sometimes, (cf. sense A.I.1) Ready, active, deft, skilful with (his, her) hands; dexterous, handy; sometimes, (cf…
   10. sappy 1558–
       figurative in various applications. Full of vitality.
   11. energical 1565–1883
       Relating to, characterized by, or full of energy (in various senses); esp. operative; efficacious. Cf. energic, adj.
   12. energetical 1585–
       Characterized by or full of energy, force, or vitality; energetic; emphatic; vigorous; lively. Now rare.
   13. greeny a1586–
       Green; verdant. Also figurative: vigorous. Now rare.
   14. stout 1600–1711
       Strenuous, energetic. Obsolete.
   15. strenuous 1602–
       Of persons or their dispositions: Vigorous in action, energetic; ‘brave, bold, active, valiant’ (Johnson). Now usually with stronger notion…
   16. forceful?1624–
       Full of force, powerful, strong, vigorous.
   17. actuous 1626–1869
       = actuose, adj.
   18. vigorous 1638–
       Of persons, etc.: Acting, or prepared to act, with vigour.
   19. vivid 1638–
       Full of life; vigorous, active, or energetic on this account; lively or brisk. Of persons (or animals), their attributes, etc.
   20. high-spirited 1653–
       Exhibiting or characterized by courage and spirit, or (later) liveliness and cheerful good humour.
   21. hearty 1665–
       Of a physical action: vigorous; performed with great energy.
   22. actuose 1677–
       Full of activity, abounding in action; active.
   23. living 1699–
       Full of life or vigour; fresh, vivid; lively, vibrant. Cf. lively, adj. A.3, A.5, A.6.
   24. full-blooded 1707–
       Originally: having or containing much blood. Later also: (of a person) having the qualities associated with a constitution rich in blood (cf. plet…
   25. executive 1708–1825
       Active in execution, energetic. Obsolete. rare.
   26. rugged 1731–
       Chiefly U.S. Of a person: strong, sturdy; robust, vigorous.
   27. sousing 1735–
       Strong, vigorous, ‘powerful’. Now dialect.
   28. energic 1740–
       Of movement, activity, etc.: characterized by or carried out with vigour or force; emphatic. Also of a person, group, etc.: full of energy…
   29. bouncing 1743
       That bounces: in various senses of the verb relating alike to loudness, brag, and vigorous or ungainly movement. Often also (like ‘thumping…
   30. two-fisted 1774–
       a. (dialect or colloquial), awkward with the hands, clumsy; b. U.S. colloquial, tough, aggressive; vigorous; c. Tennis of a backhand stroke: played…
   31. energetic 1782–
       Of a person, group, etc.: full of energy or vitality; strenuously active; vigorous; (also) dynamic; spirited; lively.
   32. zestful 1797–
       figurative. Full of zest; invigorating, stimulating, enjoyable; lively, spirited; = zesty, adj. 2. Cf. zest, n.¹ 3, 4.
   33. rollicking 1801–
       Of an action, behaviour, song, etc.: characterized by vivaciousness or boisterousness.
   34. through-ganging 1814–1923
       Active, energetic, spirited. Cf. throughgoing, adj. 2a.
   35. throughgoing 1814–
       Chiefly Scottish, Irish English (northern), and U.S. regional. Of a person: that gets through work quickly or thoroughly; active, energetic…
   36. slashing 1828–
       Spirited; dashing; full of vigour. Now used esp. of horses.
   37. high-powered 1829–
       Of a machine or device: having greater than normal strength or capabilities; very powerful. Also in extended use: of high quality.
   38. high pressure 1834–
       Involving or characterized by a high degree of exertion, urgency, or coercion; spec. (with regard to selling) employing or involving highly…
   39. rip-roaring 1834–
       Full of energy and vigour; boisterous, wildly noisy; first-rate, exciting.
   40. red-blooded 1836–
       Vigorous, virile, full of energy and strength; (now) esp. (of a man) having strong heterosexual appetites.
   41. ripsnorting 1846–
       = rip-roaring, adj.
   42. zesty 1853–
       figurative. Characterized by energy or vigour; lively, spirited; invigorating, stimulating. Cf. zest, n.¹ 3.
   43. dynamic 1856–
       transferred and figurative. Active, potent, energetic, effective, forceful.
   44. throbbing 1864–
       figurative. That pulsates with energy, life, etc.; thrilling, exciting; vibrant, lively.
   45. kinky 1872–
       U.S. regional (New England). Esp. of a person or animal: energetic, lively, spirited; (in negative sense) difficult to manage, frisky. Now rare.
   46. goey 1875–
       Full of ‘go’; energetic, lively, vigorous; dynamic, enterprising.
   47. torpedoic 1893–
       Of a torpedo, like that of a torpedo.
   48. zippy 1903–
       Full of ‘zip’ (zip, n.¹ B.1b); bright, lively, energetic; fresh, invigorating.
   49. go-at-it 1904–
       Full of energy, vitality, or determination.
   50. punchy 1907–
       Full of punch or impact; forceful, effective; vigorous.
   51. up-and-at-'em 1909–
   52. driving 1916–
       With reference to music: energetic, dynamic, forceful.
   53. vibrant a1929–
       Without const. Full of vitality, teeming, vigorous; exuberant, flourishing.
   54. kinetic 1931–
       transferred and figurative, esp. active, dynamic, full of energy.
   55. zinging 1931–
       That abounds with energy or excitement; vibrant, lively.
   56. high-octane 1936–
       figurative. Vigorous, energetic; powerful; very intense. Cf. octane, n. 3.
   57. zingy 1938–
       Energetic, exciting, vibrant; (of a remark, joke, etc.) witty, lively, and effective.
   58. slam-bang 1939–
       In weakened use: exciting, impressive, first-rate. Also, vigorous, energetic. colloquial.
   59. balls-to-the-wall 1967–
       Unrestrained, aggressive, forceful; all-out, ‘full-throttle’. Cf. balls-out, adv. & adj.
   60. balls-out 1968–
       Unrestrained, uninhibited; aggressive, extremely forceful, all-out.
   61. ass-kicking 1977–
       Forceful, aggressive.
   62. hi-octane 1977–
       = high-octane, adj. A.2.
   View in Historical Thesaurus
3. 3.
   1944–
   Of a blow, stroke, etc.: delivered quickly and sharply; stinging.
   1. 1944

      > He pawed his left in the face of an imaginary foe, bringing over two zinging rights.

      Washington Post 24 January 8/3
   2. 1972

      > She beat me like a rug, pounded me like dough, using karate chops, zinging finger stabs, incredible flicks.

      Daily Telegraph 4 February (Colour Supplement) 8/3
   3. 2011

      > Against Mitchell's zinging jab, Wylie was the aggressor for most of the five two-minute rounds.

      yorkpress.co.uk 15 March (accessed 23 Mar. 2020)
   U.S. English colloquial and slang
4. 4.
   1972–
   Of a remark, observation, etc.: quick-witted, clever, pithy; striking, memorable; pointed, piercing. Cf. zinger n. 2b.
   1. 1972

      > It is the nature of Miss Rivers' technique to be a zinging one-liner specialist, and she is good at it.

      Lebanon (Pennsylvania) Daily News 4 January 17/5
   2. 1989

      > He runs the clubhouse card games and keeps his teammates honest with zinging wisecracks.

      St. Louis (Missouri) Post-Dispatch (Nexis) 8 September (Sports section) 1d
   3. 1997

      > The dialogue..shows her abundant talent for lowbrow repartee and the zinging insult.

      Variety (Nexis) 28 April 103
   4. 2019

      > Revenge is a dish best served on stage with a zinging punchline.

      @rcscribbler 8 May in twitter.com (accessed 26 Aug. 2020)
   U.S. English colloquial and slang
   1. smart 1585–
      Of a remark, saying, etc.: clever, pointed; witty and apposite.
   2. witty 1598–
      Of speech or writing: Characterized by or full of wit (see wit, n. II.i.8); cleverly amusing, ‘sparkling’, smartly facetious or jocular; †sarcastic.
   3. sharp 1700
      Acute or penetrating in intellect or perception. Of reasoning or discourse: acute, sagacious. Also, of remarks: pointed, apt, witty.
   4. zinging 1972–
      Of a remark, observation, etc.: quick-witted, clever, pithy; striking, memorable; pointed, piercing. Cf. zinger, n. 2b.
   View in Historical Thesaurus
   1. snip-snap 1673–
      Of the nature of snip-snap; characterized by snip-snap or smart repartee.
   2. quippish 1817–
      Characterized by quips; given to making quips.
   3. smart-talking 1822–
      Given to or characterized by clever, witty, or persuasive talk, esp. of an insincere nature.
   4. quippy 1859–
      = quippish, adj.
   5. quipful 1866–
      = quippish, adj.; also in extended use.
   6. quipsome 1881–
      = quippish, adj.
   7. smart-mouthed 1967–
      Characterized by impudence or (esp. barbed) wit.
   8. zinging 1972–
      Of a remark, observation, etc.: quick-witted, clever, pithy; striking, memorable; pointed, piercing. Cf. zinger, n. 2b.
   View in Historical Thesaurus

## Pronunciation

### British English

/ˈzɪŋɪŋ/
ZING-ing

### U.S. English

/ˈzɪŋɪŋ/
ZING-ing

####

##### Consonants

- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- xloch
- hhay
- llay
- ɬrhingyll
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing

Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence /ˈpɛtl/ but /ˈpɛtl̩i/.

##### Vowels

- iːfleece
- ihappy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- atrap, bath
- ɑːstart, palm, bath
- ɒlot
- ɔːthought, force
- ʌstrut
- ʊfoot
- uːgoose
- əletter
- əːnurse
- ɪənear
- ɛːsquare
- ʊəcure
- eɪface
- ʌɪpride
- aʊmouth
- əʊgoat
- ɔɪvoice
- ãgratin
- ɒ̃salon
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
- ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)

##### Other symbols

- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.

View the pronunciation model here.

####

##### Consonants

- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye*
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- xloch
- hhay
- llay
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing

* /d/ also represents a 'tapped' /t/ as in

Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence /ˈpɛd(ə)l/ but /ˈpɛdl̩i/.

##### Vowels

- ifleece, happy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- ætrap, bath
- ɑlot, palm, cloth, thought
- ɑrstart
- ɔcloth, thought
- ɔrnorth, force
- ʊfoot
- ugoose
- əstrut, comma
- ərnurse, letter
- ɪ(ə)rnear
- ɛ(ə)rsquare
- ʊ(ə)rcure
- eɪface
- aɪpride
- aʊmouth
- oʊgoat
- ɔɪvoice
- ɑ̃gratin
- æ̃salon
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
- ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)

##### Other symbols

- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.

View the pronunciation model here.

####

Simple text respell breaks words into syllables, separated by a hyphen. The syllable which carries the primary stress is written in capital letters. This key covers both British and U.S. English Simple Text Respell.

##### Consonants

b, d, f, h, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, v, w and z have their standard English values

- gguy
- jjay
- yyore
- chchore
- khloch
- shshore
- ththaw
- dhthee
- zhbeige

##### Vowels

- atrap
- ahpalm
- airsquare
- arstart
- arrcarry (British only)
- awthought
- ayface
- a(ng)gratin
- edress
- eefleece
- eerdeer
- errmerry
- ikit
- ighpride
- irrmirror
- olot (British only)
- ohgoat
- oogoose
- oorcure
- orforce
- orrsorry (British only)
- owmouth
- oyvoice
- o(ng)salon
- ustrut
- uhletter
- urnurse
- urrhurry
- uufoot

## Frequency

zinging typically occurs about 0.01 times per million words in modern written English.

zinging is in frequency band 3, which contains words occurring between 0.01 and 0.1 times per million words in modern written English. More about OED's frequency bands

Frequency data is computed programmatically, and should be regarded as an estimate.

### Frequency of zinging, adj., 1930–2010

* Occurrences per million words in written English

Historical frequency series are derived from Google Books Ngrams (version 2), a data set based on the Google Books corpus of several million books printed in English between 1500 and 2010.

The overall frequency for a given word is calculated by summing frequencies for the main form of the word, any plural or inflected forms, and any major spelling variations.

For sets of homographs (distinct entries that share the same word-form, e.g. mole, n.¹, mole, n.², mole, n.³, etc.), we have estimated the frequency of each homograph entry as a fraction of the total Ngrams frequency for the word-form. This may result in inaccuracies.

Smoothing has been applied to series for lower-frequency words, using a moving-average algorithm. This reduces short-term fluctuations, which may be produced by variability in the content of the Google Books corpus.

Decade | Frequency per million words
--- | ---
1930 | 0.0038
1940 | 0.0044
1950 | 0.0055
1960 | 0.007
1970 | 0.0097
1980 | 0.012
1990 | 0.014
2000 | 0.016
2010 | 0.018

## Compounds & derived words

Sort by

1. zingingly, adv. 1952–
   With a zing (zing, n. B.1) or zinging sound; in a…

Originally published as part of the entry for zing, v.

zinging, adj. was revised in March 2021.

zinging, adj. was last modified in July 2023.