guttural

adjective

gut·​tur·​al ˈgə-tə-rəl 

ˈgə-trəl

1

: articulated in the throat

guttural sounds

2

: velar

3

: being or marked by utterance that is strange, unpleasant, or disagreeable

guttural noun

gutturalism

ˈgə-tə-rə-ˌli-zəm 

ˈgə-trə-

noun

Did you know?

Get your mind out of the gutter. Despite appearances, guttural is not related to the English word gutter; that word comes ultimately from the Latin verb gutta, meaning “drop,” while guttural has a different Latin root: the noun guttur, meaning “throat.” Since the late 1500s guttural has been used to describe sounds that are formed or pronounced in the throat, from cries and sobs to howls and grunts. A second sense, describing sounds or utterances which strike the listener as harsh or disagreeable (as in “the guttural roar of a motorcycle engine disturbed the afternoon’s quiet”) followed. A new sense appears to be developing as well, describing things that are instinctively or deeply felt irrespective of grunts or noises from the throat, as in “a guttural response/reaction,” but this sense has yet to meet the criteria for inclusion in our dictionary.

Examples of guttural in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

We are all once removed from being hit by this on a guttural level, and so for Franco’s character to be both feeling it ideologically and personally at the same time felt true to us, and felt like that would justify what happens [to him in the end]. —Ronda Racha Penrice, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Dec. 2024

But this time, their guttural pleas followed the killing last week by Israeli forces of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. —Dina Kraft, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 Oct. 2024

In that film, as her character Amber (spoiler alert!) heads to her comically bloody death, Madison goes from steely-faced to positively feral, unleashing guttural screeches and flailing her limbs as if possessed. —Rachel Brodsky, Rolling Stone, 18 Oct. 2024

There’s no super complicated hybrid system and that means there’s nothing between you and the guttural roar of that 621-horsepower engine. —Kyle Hyatt, Robb Report, 19 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle French, probably from Medieval Latin gutturalis, from Latin guttur throat

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

guttural

adjective

gut·​tur·​al ˈgət-ə-rəl 

1

: formed or pronounced in the throat

guttural sounds

2

: formed with the back of the tongue touching or near the palate

guttural noun

gutturally

-rə-lē

adverb

Medical Definition

guttural

adjective

gut·​tur·​al ˈgət-ə-rəl, ˈgə-trəl 

: of or relating to the throat