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

See Examples For:

adenoidal

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

From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2024

Johnson definitely nails the cadence of Trump’s speech and a certain adenoidal quality in his voice—what Johnson’s described as “a hissy breathy croak in his throat.”

From Slate ● Oct. 29, 2020

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

In her current one-woman show, Julia Sweeney shares the story of how she acquainted her teenage daughter with her most famous “Saturday Night Live” character, an adenoidal social misfit of uncertain gender named Pat.

From New York Times ● Nov. 21, 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