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
-
Bronze hammered the ball into the back of the net and let out a guttural roar.—
Charlotte Harpur,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
-
The screams, the reason everyone assembles, when the screams come, after a few collective inhales and exhales and a moment to gather one’s thoughts, the screams come like long guttural howls.—
Christopher Borrelli,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Sep. 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
-
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
-
The barbs were frequently aimed at the gruff owner of Mel’s Diner played by the late Vic Tayback.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
This is why Dijon’s language works best as sound, not narrative—his rangy, raspy voice seethes and triumphs, mocks and threatens; there’s no world in which his polygonal perspective can be discerned from a lyric sheet.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
16 Aug. 2025
-
Her raspy voice amplified the heartbreak in the lyrics; the heavy eyeliner and purple dress with dramatic yellow tulle was peak millennial gothic wardrobe; and the symbolism of the world spectating as her fictional family falls apart has become even more poignant in the age of social media today.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
People.com,
9 Aug. 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
-
Her voice was loud and hoarse, calling out comments or exhortations concerning the game.—
Rachel Cusk,
New Yorker,
24 Aug. 2025
-
Joe Biden’s disastrous June 2024 debate performance, when the nation witnessed a hoarse and feeble president losing his train of thought and struggling to finish sentences, ended his re-election campaign.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
8 July 2025
Adjective
-
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
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Carpenter is plainly a student of Parton’s, evoking her pinup styling (voluminous hair, big red lips), her persona (sharp with a knowing wink), and her voice, which is rich and husky and accompanied by a country lilt.—
Amanda Petrusich,
New Yorker,
2 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Growly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/growly. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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