raspy

[ ras-pee, rah-spee ]

adjective

, rasp·i·er, rasp·i·est.

1. harsh; grating; rasping. rasping.
2. easily annoyed; irritable.

Other Words From

• raspi·ness noun
• un·raspy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of raspy¹

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

Example Sentences

Known as the Five Foot Assassin, the rapper from A Tribe Called Quest became a hip-hop legend in the ’90s for his raspy flows, punchy one-liners and infectious enthusiasm.

From Time

The week of April 7, she started hearing raspy coughs from inside patient rooms.

From Washington Post

Her voice was raspy and after answering questions she paused, as if about to faint.

From The Daily Beast

A deep, raspy voice seems the only vestige of the three decades he spent pounding his body with poisons.

From The Daily Beast

I hear it again in my ears, as I did that day in October 1971, ardent and raspy, unchanged by the passage of time.

From The Daily Beast

I heard your trademark raspy voice came from a childhood malady?

From The Daily Beast

No, sorry, I speak fast, and my voice is kind of raspy because we went out drinking last night.

From The Daily Beast

Sometimes a blue miasmic haze settled down, and the dry raspy hides of the elephants grew damp and they fretted at their chains.

From Project Gutenberg

She held out her hands; the dry raspy trunk curled out toward them.

From Project Gutenberg

His voice got a little raspy; it is certain that his eyes were a little dim.

From Project Gutenberg

It is, in truth, somewhat saturnine; rather raspy, occasionally vitriolic.

From Project Gutenberg

Duarte, his soft raspy words choked and unintelligible, embraced Hall.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• gravelly
• gruff
• hoarse
• scratchy
• throaty