croupy

[ kroo-pee ]

adjective

, croup·i·er, croup·i·est.

1. pertaining to or resembling croup.
2. affected with croup.

Other Words From

• croupi·ly adverb
• croupi·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of croupy¹

First recorded in 1825–35; croup ¹ + -y ¹

Example Sentences

He had been perfectly healthy until that morning, when he woke with a fever and croupy cough.

From Literature

“You should see her naked,” General Dreedle chortled with croupy relish, while his nurse stood smiling proudly right at his shoulder.

From Literature

Ben then shows his vulnerability by screaming like a croupy baby on all the rides while Amanda calmly sits next to him polishing her lip gloss.

From Time

It seemed time to acknowledge that in the future, the little girls whose hair we once brushed and whose croupy coughs we listened for would be returning as guests, not residents.

From Washington Post

Writers for The New Yorker in the 1930s and ’40s described him as a “Superman of Law” who spoke in a “gruff, croupy, dictatorial tone.”

From New York Times

Related Words

• discordant
• gravelly
• gruff
• harsh
• raucous
• throaty