raspy

[ras-pee, rah-spee]

adjective

raspier, raspiest 

1. harsh; grating; rasping. rasping.

2. easily annoyed; irritable.

Other Word Forms

• raspiness noun
• unraspy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of raspy¹

First recorded in 1830–40; rasp + -y ¹

Example Sentences

"The fire seemed to come out of nowhere," the 45-year-old tells the BBC in a melancholic voice, raspy from years of smoking cigarettes.

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With her soft cheeks and tearful, raspy baby voice, it’s shocking how much we get attached to her.

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Later that evening an unknown number flashed up on my mobile phone and I heard that same raspy voice.

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“I Kissed a Girl,” which puts a bouncy folk-pop groove beneath Sobule’s lightly raspy vocal, opens with two friends hanging out one night as they compare notes on their disappointing boyfriends.

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An up-tempo rocker, full of showboating guitar chords and an extremely 1980s cowbell, Hot For You, Baby is a prime example of Turner's raspy, physical style of soul.

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Related Words

• gravelly 
• gruff 
• hoarse 
• scratchy 
• throaty