dysphonia

American  

[dis-foh-nee-uh] / dɪsˈfoʊ ni ə /

noun

1. any disturbance of normal vocal function.

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dysphonia British  

/ dɪsˈfɒnɪk, dɪsˈfəʊnɪə /

noun

1. any impairment in the ability to speak normally, as from spasm or strain of the vocal cords

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Other Word Forms

• dysphonic adjective

Etymology

Origin of dysphonia

1700–10; < New Latin < Greek dysphōnía roughness of sound, equivalent to dys- dys- + phōn ( ḗ ) sound, voice + -ia -ia

Example Sentences

My symptoms matched all the descriptions for the rarer form of the disorder, called abductor spasmodic dysphonia.

From Slate • Apr. 18, 2026

Laryngeal dystonia, known previously as spasmodic dysphonia, is a rare condition that affects over 50,000 people in the US and Canada.

From Science Daily • Nov. 20, 2024

Thompson’s advancing dysphonia made her subsequent solo career fraught and sporadic, though she did manage to release four LPs before falling silent 11 years ago.

From New York Times • Jun. 20, 2024

Kennedy has even suggested that vaccines may have caused the disorder that affects his larynx, spasmodic dysphonia, making his voice sound tremulous or strained.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 21, 2023

But his worst symptom was dysphonia; he would try to articulate one word, and find himself using another.

From File No. 113 by Gaboriau, Émile