as in guttural
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Recent Examples of growly
Neeson’s a growly delight, while Huston steals most of his scenes.
—
Brian Truitt, USA Today, 30 July 2025
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
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
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
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
Brian Truitt, USA Today, 30 July 2025
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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for growly
Adjective
-
Imagine a city street at dusk, silent save for the rising sound of a collective guttural moan.—
Tom Duszynski,
The Conversation,
16 Oct. 2025
-
The mangrove forests resounded with birdsong: the high trill of swallows and the guttural croak of snail kites.—
Simon Willis,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The road’s hairpin turns and gravelly washes mean slow going; the trip from Marfa to Chinati Hot Springs will likely take around two hours.—
Eva Frederick,
Travel + Leisure,
26 Aug. 2025
-
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
Adjective
-
But encounters with the island’s residents, including with his gruff but warm-hearted landlady (played by German screen legend Hanna Schygulla), gradually alter his outlook.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Panday plays a convincingly gruff tortured artist alongside Padda’s struggling ingenue, and most of the screen time is devoted to their pairing instead of introducing tertiary excess.—
Proma Khosla,
IndieWire,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
At the war’s conclusion, the 86-year-old Khamenei emerged from hiding to declare victory in a raspy voice—a spectacle meant to project strength that instead underscored the regime’s frailty.—
Karim Sadjadpour,
Foreign Affairs,
14 Oct. 2025
-
In 2021, Emily started asking her then 2-year-old daughter the question on camera, capturing the tot’s adorable responses in her now recognizable raspy voice.—
Tabitha Parent,
PEOPLE,
26 Sep. 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
-
Sometimes animatronic and growling, sometimes staring out dead-eyed, classic and static.—
Christopher Borrelli,
Chicago Tribune,
15 June 2022
Adjective
-
Give Palestine your voice, and when your voice goes hoarse, hang your flags, wear your keffiyeh.—
Thomas Smith,
Billboard,
18 Sep. 2025
-
And when your voice goes hoarse, hang your flags, wear your keffiyeh.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
One of Lipa’s most significant attributes is the husky tone of her mezzo-soprano, lending a gritty roughness to her songs’ pop polish.—
Steven J. Horowitz,
Variety,
5 Oct. 2025
-
The star’s lower, huskier baritone voice has always made an impact in BTS’ music with the star citing the likes of Bing Crosby, Eric Benet and Ruben Studdard as inspirations.—
Jeff Benjamin,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Growly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/growly. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.
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