HOARSE Synonyms: 58 Similar and Opposite Words

hoarse

adjective

ˈhȯrs

Definition of hoarse

as in gruff

harsh and dry in sound the dying man spoke in a hoarse whisper

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of hoarse Workers also reported hoarse voices, chronic coughs and asthma-like symptoms. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 12 Aug. 2026 When 39 days of elite physical punishment concluded with stadium lights dimming across North America, millions of fans limped away from watch parties with hoarse voices and sore feet. — Lilian Raji, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026 The 28-year-old singer cut her Tuesday evening set short after playing only a few songs inside the Colorado city’s Ball Arena, with fan footage captured inside the venue showing Moroney speaking to fans through a hoarse voice. — Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 30 July 2026 The other was a tearing beauty, a creature so lovely that one look at her sent young men’s blood pressure skyward and set them to uttering wild, hoarse cries and tearing telephone directories apart with the bare hands. — John Madson, Outdoor Life, 1 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for hoarse

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoarse

Adjective

We were taught by a gruff cockney called Fred Waring, who had participated in the D-Day landings in a regiment that had fought its way across Europe towards Berlin and liberated the concentration camp at Belsen.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Sep. 2026
His only hope to get home turns out to be Nick (Kenneth Branagh), a gruff ex-KGB agent who loves American pop culture and is really good in a fight.

— Brian Truitt, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of gruff

Adjective

Her husky voice made Pugh, as an up-and-comer, seem wise beyond her years in breakout roles as a Machiavellian teenage bride in Lady Macbeth and an actor turned spy in The Little Drummer Girl.

— Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 25 Sep. 2026
Tyler, after a brief recovery period, returned to the recording studio with a huskier, edgier voice.

— Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026

Definition of husky

Adjective

Frazier, who had become world champion during Ali’s absence, handed the ring-rusty Ali the first loss of his professional career.

— Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2026
Helen admired pheasants and kept their long, rusty feathers in her sewing room.

— Tom Drury, Harpers Magazine, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of rusty

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hoariness

hoarse

hoary

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“Hoarse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoarse. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of hoarse

adjective

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