Raspingly

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a way that is notably rough or unrefined, often causing irritation or discomfort to the ears or skin
2. Characterized by a harsh, abrasive quality that can be unpleasant and grating to experience
3. In a manner marked by a coarse and grating quality that can be unpleasant to the senses

Etymology: "Raspingly" is a plain formation: the adjective "rasping" with the adverbial suffix "-ly" attached, so it describes doing something in a rasping manner. The adjective itself comes from the verb "rasp," which describes scraping or filing a surface with a coarse tool, and the sound-related sense followed from that image of a harsh, abrasive scraping. The suffix "-ly" is an old and productive English ending, descended from the Old English "-lic," which turns an adjective into an adverb of manner. Attaching it to "rasping" yields a word that carries the grating, coarse quality of the original tool-based image into how something is said, sung, or sounds.

Synonyms: harshly, gratingly

Antonyms: smoothly, gently