nasal

1 of 2

noun

na·​sal ˈnā-zəl How to pronounce nasal (audio)
Synonyms of nasalnext
1
: the nosepiece of a helmet
2
: a nasal part
3
: a nasal consonant

nasal

2 of 2

adjective

1
: of or relating to the nose
2
a
: uttered with the soft palate lowered and with passage of air through the nose (as with \m\, \n\, \ŋ\, \ōⁿ\, or \aⁿ\)
b
: characterized by resonance produced through the nose
3
of a musical tone : sharp, penetrating
nasality
nā-ˈza-lə-tē How to pronounce nasal (audio)
noun
nasally
ˈnā-zə-lē How to pronounce nasal (audio)
ˈnāz-lē
adverb

Examples of nasal in a Sentence

Adjective a bottle of nasal spray the nasal consonants and the nasal vowels in French Her voice is harsh and nasal.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Pseudoephedrine pills or nasal spray can relieve a stuffy nose or sinus pressure by restricting blood vessels and opening airways in your nasal passages. — Andee Tagle, NPR, 15 Oct. 2026 Additional options include FluMist, a nasal spray vaccine approved for people age 2 through 49 – which may be preferable to those who want to avoid a shot. — Annette Regan, The Conversation, 6 Oct. 2026
Adjective
Preliminary research suggests nasal breathing at rest may be associated with lower blood pressure than mouth breathing. — Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 24 Oct. 2026 AstraZeneca and Amgen recently released positive Phase 3 results for another use for their drug Tezspire, an injectable approved for nasal polyps and asthma. — Paulina Likos, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for nasal

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from nes nose, from Latin nasus — more at nose

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of nasal was in the 14th century

Rhymes for nasal

See All Rhymes for nasal

Browse Nearby Words

NASA
nasal
nasal capsule
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Nasal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nasal. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

nasal

1 of 2 noun
na·​sal ˈnā-zəl How to pronounce nasal (audio)
: a nasal consonant

nasal

2 of 2 adjective
1
: of or relating to the nose
2
a
: uttered with passage of air through the nose
the nasal consonants \m\, \n\, and \ŋ\
the nasal vowels in French
b
: marked by resonance produced through the nose
speaking in a nasal tone
nasality
nā-ˈzal-ət-ē How to pronounce nasal (audio)
noun
nasally
ˈnāz-(ə-)lē How to pronounce nasal (audio)
adverb

Medical Definition

nasal

1 of 2 noun
na·​sal ˈnā-zəl How to pronounce nasal (audio)
: a nasal part (as a bone)

nasal

2 of 2 adjective
: of or relating to the nose
nasal inflammation
nasally
ˈnāz-(ə-)lē How to pronounce nasal (audio)
adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on nasal

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for nasal

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about nasal

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All