Guttural describes sounds that seem to come from deep in the throat, often rough, harsh, or growling. When a dog growls protectively, that low, rumbling sound is guttural. When someone has a bad cold and their voice sounds scratchy and comes from the back of their throat, that's a guttural voice.

It captures sounds that feel like they're formed way back in your throat rather than with your lips or the front of your mouth. Some languages use guttural sounds regularly. Arabic and Hebrew, for instance, include consonants that speakers pronounce from the throat, sounds that don't exist in English.

You might describe a monster's roar in a movie as guttural, or the sound of someone clearing their throat forcefully. Heavy metal singers sometimes use guttural vocals intentionally to create an aggressive, powerful sound. The word often appears when writers want to describe something that sounds primal, animal-like, or raw, like a guttural cry of pain or anger.