nasal

1 of 2

noun

na·​sal ˈnā-zəl 

1

: the nosepiece of a helmet

2

: a nasal part

3

: a nasal consonant

nasal

2 of 2

adjective

1

: of or relating to the nose

2

a

: uttered with the soft palate lowered and with passage of air through the nose (as with \m\, \n\, \ŋ\, \ōⁿ\, or \aⁿ\)

b

: characterized by resonance produced through the nose

3

of a musical tone : sharp, penetrating

nasality

nā-ˈza-lə-tē 

noun

nasally

ˈnā-zə-lē 

ˈnāz-lē

adverb

Examples of nasal in a Sentence

Adjective

a bottle of nasal spray

the nasal consonants and

the nasal vowels in French

Her voice is harsh and nasal.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Rush University Medical Center began hosting Narcan nasal spray training sessions for barber college students in summer 2024, enlisting prospective barbers and beauticians in the fight to combat the opioid epidemic. —Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 5 Jan. 2026

Arnold, with two black eyes, a little lingering puffiness and a mask to protect the healing nasal bones, was good to go. —Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 4 Jan. 2026

Adjective

Given the lack of gravity, even a runny nose can turn into an extremely unpleasant experience, forcing astronauts to resort to unusual measures just to drain mucus from their nasal passages. —Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 8 Jan. 2026

Arnold was also at the heart of UConn’s impressive showing in her second game back from a nasal fracture that briefly sidelined her last week. —Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 8 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from nes nose, from Latin nasus — more at nose

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for nasal

• hazel
• phrasal
• appraisal
• intranasal
• reappraisal

Kids Definition

nasal

1 of 2 noun

na·​sal ˈnā-zəl 

: a nasal consonant

nasal

2 of 2 adjective

1

: of or relating to the nose

2

a

: uttered with passage of air through the nose

the nasal consonants \m\, \n\, and \ŋ\

the nasal vowels in French

b

: marked by resonance produced through the nose

speaking in a nasal tone

nasality

nā-ˈzal-ət-ē 

noun

nasally

ˈnāz-(ə-)lē 

adverb

Medical Definition

nasal

1 of 2 noun

na·​sal ˈnā-zəl 

: a nasal part (as a bone)

nasal

2 of 2 adjective

: of or relating to the nose

nasal inflammation

nasally

ˈnāz-(ə-)lē 

adverb