as in guttural
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Recent Examples of growly
There’s even a ragged guitar solo and some growly vocals that reveal Rivers Cuomo’s heavy-metal roots.
—
Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2024
So Swims seems to be benefiting from an overall mainstreaming of growly country voices (looking at you, Chris Stapleton and Zach Bryan) and bringing it into the pop space.
—Katie Atkinson, Billboard, 30 Jan. 2024
The song eventually rises to a joyous riot of guitar, drums, saxophone and keyboards more than five minutes in, building to a pair of joyous peaks as Jagger and Gaga get entangled in a growly soul shout-off.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 28 Sep. 2023
Evolution wired us to fear snakes, spiders, big growly beasts—not guns, not nuclear bombs, not climate change, not AIs.
—Kc Cole, WIRED, 14 July 2023
The combination of a growly engine and high-feedback suspension gives the car a gritty, mechanical feel that holds promise for the fan of the driving art.
—Kevin Smith, Car and Driver, 24 June 2023
Considering that in the summer Mr. Zeldin had been attacked on stage by a critic armed with a keychain weapon, and that a few weeks ago his twin daughters were at risk from bullets shot into a fence beside their home, growly and grim is more normal than purring and cheery.
—WSJ, 4 Nov. 2022
The all-new, gorgeous Z roared our way this summer, bringing with it loads of growly fun, 400 horses under the hood and ready to take on all comers in its (reasonable) price range of $41,015.
—Josh Max, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2022
There, into the early hours of Monday morning, Lula spoke, and sometimes wept, in a voice that had turned alternately hoarse and growly with age and raw emotion.
—Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2022
Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2024
So Swims seems to be benefiting from an overall mainstreaming of growly country voices (looking at you, Chris Stapleton and Zach Bryan) and bringing it into the pop space.
—Katie Atkinson, Billboard, 30 Jan. 2024
The song eventually rises to a joyous riot of guitar, drums, saxophone and keyboards more than five minutes in, building to a pair of joyous peaks as Jagger and Gaga get entangled in a growly soul shout-off.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 28 Sep. 2023
Evolution wired us to fear snakes, spiders, big growly beasts—not guns, not nuclear bombs, not climate change, not AIs.
—Kc Cole, WIRED, 14 July 2023
The combination of a growly engine and high-feedback suspension gives the car a gritty, mechanical feel that holds promise for the fan of the driving art.
—Kevin Smith, Car and Driver, 24 June 2023
Considering that in the summer Mr. Zeldin had been attacked on stage by a critic armed with a keychain weapon, and that a few weeks ago his twin daughters were at risk from bullets shot into a fence beside their home, growly and grim is more normal than purring and cheery.
—WSJ, 4 Nov. 2022
The all-new, gorgeous Z roared our way this summer, bringing with it loads of growly fun, 400 horses under the hood and ready to take on all comers in its (reasonable) price range of $41,015.
—Josh Max, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2022
There, into the early hours of Monday morning, Lula spoke, and sometimes wept, in a voice that had turned alternately hoarse and growly with age and raw emotion.
—Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for growly
Adjective
-
Some people may have been scratching their heads when kids started screaming and crying after seeing a pig wearing a crown; With zombie pig men and skeleton archers riding spiders, why would this specific creature elicit such a guttural reaction?—
Issy van der Velde,
Rolling Stone,
9 Apr. 2025
-
Her symptoms include vomiting up clots of hair, bile and sewing pins; making scary pronouncements in a guttural voice that is not her own; and being unusually attractive to wasps, whose carcasses litter her bedclothes.—
Sarah Lyall,
New York Times,
5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
My new favourite spot nearby was a long, sunken garden, complete with stone fountains, a gravelly terrace, and grand staircases sprawling down from street level.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
12 Mar. 2025
-
Goldberg said one recent afternoon, in her gravelly voice.—
André Wheeler,
The New Yorker,
10 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The actor behind the gruff but lovable Roy Kent shared a purrfectly eccentric analogy about the show's return on a recent episode of NPR's Wild Card podcast.—
Jessica Wang,
EW.com,
21 Apr. 2025
-
Bowling paints with the rhythm of a gruff intellectual.—
James Russell,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
John’s raspy voice here works so well for a later-in-life memoirist. 81.—
Shana Naomi Krochmal,
Vulture,
4 Apr. 2025
-
By Angela Haupt January 29, 2025 3:40 PM EST Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., President Trump’s nominee to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, speaks with a raspy quiver in his voice.—
Angela Haupt,
TIME,
29 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Kendrick responds to that feedback on the album version, which trades his smooth vocals on the single version for a throatier delivery and cuts off the third verse for a clunky and misinformed skit about the etymology of the N-word.—
Stephen Kearse,
Vulture,
4 Feb. 2025
-
The instrumentation on the album is a gleaming and impenetrable expanse, and the main attraction is Lipa, whose voice is strong and occasionally throaty.—
Amanda Petrusich,
The New Yorker,
3 May 2024
Adjective
-
In the clip, the animals tussle on a bed, Moose making playful growling noises as he and Peach play-fight, Moose using his mouth and Peach giving it all with his paws.—
Matt Robison,
Newsweek,
18 Feb. 2025
-
The world's complex environmental issues demand open minds, fresh perspectives, and less growling.—
Keith Kloor,
Discover Magazine,
22 June 2012
Adjective
-
Haidar’s voice is hoarse and strained, the result of an emergency tracheostomy, a surgical procedure that creates an opening in the neck to aid breathing.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
2 May 2025
-
As the speech came to an end, Booker’s voice was hoarse, but his resolve was unshaken.—
Melissa Noel,
Essence,
2 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
In a viral TikTok video, a Siberian husky puppy is filmed meeting a kitten for the very first time in his life, and his heartening reaction to the feline has quickly turned him into a social-media sensation.—
Faisal Kutty,
Newsweek,
10 Mar. 2025
-
In a viral TikTok video, a Siberian husky puppy is filmed meeting a kitten for the very first time in his life, and his heartening reaction to the feline has quickly turned him into a social-media sensation.—
Faisal Kutty,
Newsweek,
10 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Growly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/growly. Accessed 7 May. 2025.
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