raspiness

/ˈræspɪnəs/

noun★Intermediate

neutral

A harsh, grating sound quality, especially in a voice or musical tone.

The raspiness of the saxophone added character to the jazz piece.

The saxophone's rough tone gave the jazz piece extra character.

She tried to soften the raspiness in her speech by speaking more slowly.

She attempted to reduce the hoarseness in her speech by speaking slower.

💡

Formed from the adjective 'raspy' + suffix '-ness' indicating a state or quality.

Collocations

a raspiness in his voicethe hoarse quality present in his voicethe raspiness of the soundthe grating nature of the sound

raspy voicephrase

a voice that sounds hoarse or gravelly

Derived from the adjective 'raspy' (from 'rasp', meaning to scrape) + the noun-forming suffix '-ness', first recorded in the early 19th century.

Commonly used to describe vocal or instrumental sounds that are rough, harsh, or gritty. It is less common for non‑auditory contexts.

English Dictionary