adenoidal

American  

[ad-n-oid-l] / ˌæd nˈɔɪd l /

adjective

1. of or relating to the adenoids; adenoid.

2. having the adenoids enlarged, especially to a degree that interferes with normal breathing.

3. being characteristically pinched and nasal in tone quality.

   a high-pitched, adenoidal voice.

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adenoidal British  

/ ˌædɪˈnɔɪdəl /

adjective

1. having the nasal tones or impaired breathing of one with enlarged adenoids

2. another word for adenoid

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Etymology

Origin of adenoidal

First recorded in 1915–20; adenoid + -al ¹

Example Sentences

Shady’s adenoidal whine is nowhere to be found on this record, replaced with a sinister, very adult scowl.

From Salon • Aug. 30, 2024

As Miss Adelaide, Wallace avoids caricature, coupling robust comedy with the sense of an aching heart and bringing her roof-raising vocals to her character’s famously adenoidal “Lament.”

From New York Times • Mar. 15, 2023

Cindy Wilson from the B-52’s sings a little flat, and that adenoidal, raw beauty is a huge part of her appeal as a singer.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 15, 2021

Abbott is fifty-seven, with thinning gray hair, a warm, confident demeanor, and an adenoidal vocal quality, like a man powering through a cold.

From The New Yorker • Dec. 16, 2019

He suffered from an adenoidal problem that made his words bleed into each other through a humming sound in his nostrils.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan