Dictionary

dysphonia en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /dɪsˈfoʊ.ni.ə/ (General-American)
• /dɪsˈfəʊ.ni.ə/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From Ancient Greek δυσ- (dus-, “ill, hard”) + φωνή (phōnḗ, “sound, voice”), equivalent to dys- + -phonia.

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) A difficulty in producing vocal sounds.
   • Spasmodic dysphonia affects up to 50,000 people in North America, and is a subset of dystonia, a muscle contraction disorder that can affect many parts of the body. 2025 January 29, Sandee LaMotte, “A rare brain disorder robbed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of his strong speaking voice”, in CNN:
   • In patients with spasmodic dysphonia, the current treatment that is most commonly offered is by selective injection of botulinum toxin (BOTOX) into the most affected muscles. 2009, Peak Woo, Stroboscopy, Plural Publishing, →ISBN, page 339:

Forms

Deriveds

dysphonic

Synonyms

hoarseness