1. the quality or state of being breathy; a sound produced with audible breath, especially in speech or singing
Usage: commonly used in phonetics, music, and voice analysis
2. a soft, whispering quality in the voice
Usage: informal usage in everyday speech

Examples

• The singer's breathiness added an intimate quality to the ballad.
• The actor's breathiness made his whispered lines difficult to hear in the back row.
• Excessive breathiness in speech can indicate nervousness or fatigue.
• The vocal coach worked to reduce the breathiness in her student's high notes.
• His breathiness when speaking suggested he was out of breath from running.
• The microphone picked up the breathiness in her voice during the recording session.