husky

¹ American  

[huhs-kee] / ˈhʌs ki /

adjective

• huskier,
  comparative
• huskiest
  superlative

1. big and strong; burly.

   Synonyms:

   strapping, brawny, robust

2. (of the voice) having a semiwhispered vocal tone; somewhat hoarse, as when speaking with a cold or from grief or passion.

   Synonyms:

   throaty, rasping, gruff, harsh

3. like, covered with, or full of husks.

4. made in a size meant for the larger or heavier than average boy.

   size 18 husky pants.

5. for, pertaining to, or wearing clothing in this size.

   the husky department; husky boys.

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noun

• huskies
  plural

1. a size of garments meant for the larger or heavier than average boy.

2. Informal. a big, strong person.

husky ² American  

[huhs-kee] / ˈhʌs ki /

noun

• huskies
  plural

1. Eskimo dog.

2. Siberian husky.

3. Canadian Slang. Husky,

   1. an Inuit.

   2. the language of the Inuit.

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husky ¹ British  

/ ˈhʌskɪ /

noun

1. a breed of Arctic sled dog with a thick dense coat, pricked ears, and a curled tail

2. slang

   1. a member of the Inuit people

   2. the Inuit language

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husky ² British  

/ ˈhʌskɪ /

adjective

1. (of a voice, an utterance, etc) slightly hoarse or rasping

2. of, like, or containing husks

3. informal big, strong, and well-built

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• huskiness
  noun
• huskily
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• huskies
  plural

Adjectives

• huskier
  comparative
• huskiest
  superlative

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Etymology

Origin of husky¹

First recorded in 1545–55 husky ¹ for def. 3, 1720-25 husky ¹ for def. 2, 1860–65 husky ¹ for def. 7, and 1890–95 husky ¹ for def. 1; husk + -y ¹, -y ²

Origin of husky²

First recorded in 1870–75; shortening of husky dog, husky breed; compare Newfoundland and Labrador dialect Husky “an Inuit from Labrador,” earlier Huskemaw, Uskemaw, ultimately from the same Algonquian source as Eskimo

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Explanation

If your voice is low and gruff, it's husky. A deep, gravelly voice is husky, and you're husky if you have a large, muscled, heavy body. You might even be a husky person with a husky voice. When husky is a noun, it's a northern breed of dog that's bred to pull a sled. Your Alaskan Husky could have a husky bark, and your voice might be the result of a bad cold, or it just might be the normal way you speak. The husky that describes a voice comes from husk, in the sense of "dry as a husk." The husky dog's root is from 1850s Canadian English, hoskey.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

husky huskies huskier huskiest

The 9-year-old husky was described by Reyes as a playful dog who was gentle with children.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

With her distinctive husky voice, tousled mane of blonde hair and black eyeliner, Tyler was instantly recognisable as the queen of the 1980s power ballad.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

There was also criticism: some listeners and critics have argued that many of his songs started to sound alike, with his trademark husky, introspective delivery creating a sense of sameness across different films and genres.

From BBC ● Jan. 28, 2026

Even the husky TED-talking voice Holmes used to invest herself with greater seriousness and authority was a put-on.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 7, 2025

Barton Snode finished his sentence in a husky whisper.

From "The City of Ember" by Jeanne DuPrau

The Tamaskan, a "wolfalike" breed created in the UK during the 1980s by selecting huskies, malamutes, and other dogs for a wolf-like appearance, has about 3.7 percent wolf ancestry.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 29, 2025

His charge was simply 31 sled dogs, mostly Alaskan huskies, who work in Denali National Park.

From Slate ● Jul. 4, 2025

So they advertised for pet-owning participants, who had huskies or malamutes, to join their study remotely.

From BBC ● Jan. 29, 2025

Then again, some dogs are just more inclined to bark than others based on their breed, with Siberian huskies particularly notorious for being whiny.

From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2024

Sun and Moon, gray Alaskan huskies, were tireless.

From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell

Houston’s final studio album, “I Look to You,” came out in 2009 and revealed a once-mighty voice grown smaller and huskier.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 22, 2022

Now 79, McCartney’s voice has grown huskier in his later years but still sounded good during that 2019 Vancouver show.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 18, 2022

Infections were concentrated among younger men as they flocked to signature summer events like Bear Week, part of gay culture for guys on the huskier and hairier side.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 5, 2021

Meanwhile, both speaking and singing, her voice was considerably lower, huskier and scratchier than it had been during “Auld Lang Syne.”

From New York Times ● Jan. 1, 2017

“She’ll seem better tomorrow,” his grandma said, her voice huskier, “but she won’t be, Conor.”

From "A Monster Calls" by Patrick Ness

It also found him singing in his huskiest register of the evening, to great effect.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 8, 2023

I doubt very much if she actually received from "the huskiest of the six" any blows from a mule's belly-strap.

From Time Magazine Archive

Winny, as the family called him, was the huskiest Rockefeller, at 6 ft.

From Time Magazine Archive

As the toothpick-shaped shells slid to their starting marks, Eastern hopes were centered on M.I.T.'s powerful sprint champions, huskiest boatload on the water.

From Time Magazine Archive

He would saddle their huskiest plow horse, ride into town, and shop for everybody.

From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote

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Related Words

• muscular
• stocky
• stout
• strapping

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