husky

husky — adjective

1. A husky voice sounds low, deep, and slightly rough — this can be because someone

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

A husky voice sounds low, deep, and slightly rough — this can be because someone has a cold, has been crying or shouting, or it can simply be a natural quality of their voice that some people find attractive.

Example

After shouting at the football match, Liam's voice went husky and he could barely speak.

husky from overusing the voice (shouting)

The singer's husky whisper gave the old love song a feeling of deep sadness.

husky whisper — collocation for an attractive voice

Common collocations
  • husky voice
  • husky whisper
  • husky laugh
  • husky cough
  • sound husky
  • go husky
Synonyms
  • hoarse

    more negative — usually from shouting or illness, almost never attractive

  • raspy

    harsher and rougher than husky, often describes a voice damaged from smoking

  • throaty

    darker and richer in quality, usually attractive, common for jazz or blues singers

  • croaky

    informal; sounds like a frog's croak, often temporary from a cold or tiredness

Antonyms
  • clear

    a voice with no roughness or hoarseness

  • shrill

    high-pitched and unpleasant, opposite of low and rough

Grammar Patterns

husky + noun (voice, whisper, laugh)

be/look/sound/go + husky

Usage Note

Only describes a voice, not a person. Frequently collocates with 'voice', 'whisper', 'laugh', or 'cough'. Can signal either an attractive quality (common in descriptions of singers) or a temporary condition resulting from illness, crying, or shouting.

Common Mistakes

She has a husky person.
She has a husky voice.
This sense of 'husky' describes a voice, not a person's appearance.
He spoke in a husky way.
He spoke in a husky voice.
The most natural and common word partner is 'voice', not 'way'.

2. Someone described as husky has a body that is naturally big, solid, and strong —

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

Someone described as husky has a body that is naturally big, solid, and strong — often with broad shoulders and a heavy frame, as seen in people who do demanding physical work.

Example

The husky farmer lifted the heavy sack of potatoes onto his shoulder without any effort.

husky + body-size noun (farmer) for physical build

Amira's brother is tall and husky, with broad shoulders and large hands.

Common collocations
  • husky man
  • husky boy
  • husky build
  • husky frame
  • tall and husky
  • big and husky
Synonyms
  • burly

    very similar in meaning; a burly person is big, heavy, and strongly built, often in a rough-looking way

  • stocky

    shorter than 'husky' implies; strongly built but not tall

  • sturdy

    strong and solid, but not necessarily large; focuses on being well-built and hard to knock over

  • brawny

    emphasises large muscles more than 'husky' does; a brawny person looks visibly muscular

Antonyms
  • slender

    thin in a graceful way, the opposite of big and solid

  • slight

    thin and not very strong, opposite of having a bulky build

Grammar Patterns

husky + noun (man, boy, build, frame)

be/look + husky

grow/get + husky

Usage Note

Distinguish from adj/1 (LOW ROUGH VOICE) — this sense describes a person's body and size, not their voice. Typically used for men and boys. Overlaps in meaning with 'burly' but is slightly less common in modern use.

Common Mistakes

He is a husky voice.
He is a husky man.
The 'big and strong' sense describes a person's body, not their voice.
The girl is very husky.
The wrestler is tall and husky.
This sense is much more common for males and for adults with a solid, strong build.

husky — noun

Word family

  • husk
    nounB2
  • huskiness
    nounC1
  • huskily
    adverbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Husky, hoarse, croaky, raspy, and throaty all describe a rough or low voice, but they differ in cause and connotation. Husky is the most neutral and can be attractive (a singer's husky voice) or simply indicate illness. Hoarse is more negative and always implies strain from shouting or a sore throat. Croaky is informal and humorous, suggesting a voice like a frog's croak after waking up or during a cold. Raspy suggests a grinding, harsh quality — like metal scraping metal — and is often used for smokers' voices. Throaty is more positive, suggesting a deep, rich, resonant quality. For example, you might describe a jazz singer as having a throaty or husky voice, but after cheering at a concert you would sound hoarse or croaky, not throaty.

husky ↗hoarsecroakyraspythroaty

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'husky' has two unrelated origins that later mixed together. The adjective comes from 'husk' (the dry outer covering of corn or grain) plus '-y', and originally meant 'like a husk — dry and rough'. People began using it for rough-sounding voices in the 1700s. The 'big and strong' meaning may have developed from the idea of a tough, hard outer layer too. The noun for the dog comes from a completely different source: it is a shortened form of 'Eskimo' (now considered outdated) combined with 'dog', referring to the sled dogs that Inuit people bred in the Arctic. The two meanings — the rough voice and the furry sled dog — are historically unrelated but happen to share the same spelling.