guttural
Americanadjective
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of or relating to the throat.
-
harsh; throaty.
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Phonetics. pertaining to or characterized by a sound articulated in the back of the mouth, as the non-English velar fricative sound
noun
adjective
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anatomy of or relating to the throat
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phonetics pronounced in the throat or the back of the mouth; velar or uvular
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raucous
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of guttural
1585–95; < New Latin gutturālis of the throat, equivalent to Latin guttur gullet, throat + -ālis -al 1
Explanation
Guttural describes a hoarse sound made in the back of the throat. Your friend's voice might get low and guttural just before he bursts into tears. Growls and cries are often described as guttural. The Latin word guttur, "throat or gullet," is the root of guttural. That's why sounds that are deep and croaked as if they come from the back of your throat are guttural. In linguistics, speech sounds that start in the throat, like the consonants k and g, are called guttural consonants, and there are even guttural languages which contain many guttural sounds.
Vocabulary lists containing guttural
The Devil's Arithmetic
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The Girl Who Drank the Moon
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Flying Lessons & Other Stories
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She was quick to voice her frustration as her performance dropped off, throwing her arms up, letting out guttural roars and unleashing her fury on her team.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026
Zhao has been signaling this moment from the start of the film, and when Hamnet’s bright, earnest voice is replaced by Buckley’s full-bodied, guttural wail, it’s nearly impossible to stay stone-faced.
From Salon ● Nov. 30, 2025
He has a few moments that play so close to comedy — say, whining to be let into the bathroom — that you wish the movie would do more to encourage our pained, guttural laughs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2025
He had this guttural, old-guy Boston Irish laugh.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2025
Bod made the noise in the back of his throat that she had taught him—a guttural cry, like an eagle’s call.
From "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
