adj
Meaning 1
Having a lot of body hair.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- a hairy man
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: hirsute, furry, hairful
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
hairy
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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Received-Pronunciation: /ˈhɛə.ɹi/
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US: /ˈhɛɹ.i/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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Australian: /ˈheːɹi/
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New-Zealand: /ˈheəɹi/ without the cheer–chair merger
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/ˈhiəɹi/ New Zealand, cheer–chair merger
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Scotland: /ˈheɹɪ/
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Scotland: /ˈheɹe/
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/ˈhɜːɹɪ/ Lancashire, fair–fur merger
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homophone: harry (Mary–marry–merry merger)
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homophone: Harry (Mary–marry–merry merger)
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rhymes with -ɛəɹi
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CMU ARPABET: HH EH1 R IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
adj
Meaning 2
Having a lot of fur.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- Near-synonyms: long-haired, furry, fluffy
- hairy mammoth
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: long-haired, furry, fluffy
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 3
Having hair growing from it.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- hairy chest; hairy back
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: villous, hirsute, furry
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 4
Long-haired.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncommon
Examples
- yelling about dirty, hairy hippies
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 5
Seeming as if hair-covered or as if consisting of hair.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- Near-synonym: hairlike
- hairy cell leukemia
- hairy moss
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: hairlike
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 6
Difficult, complex, intricate, or intimidating.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: informal
Examples
- It’s a hairy problem, and will probably take several weeks to sort out.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 7
Causing anxiety or fright; terrifying, scary.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: informal
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: hair-raising
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 8
A haircut (the act of cutting of hair).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Australia, rare, slang
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adjective
Meaning 9
having or covered with hair
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- Jacob was a hairy man
- a hairy caterpillar
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: haired, hirsute
Antonyms: hairless
adjective satellite
Meaning 10
hazardous and frightening
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- hairy moments in the mountains
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From Middle English hery, heeri, hary, equivalent to hair + -y. Compare Saterland Frisian hierich (“hairy”), West Frisian hierrich (“hairy”), Dutch harig (“hairy”), German Low German harig (“hairy”), German haarig (“hairy”), Swedish hårig (“hairy”), Icelandic hárugur (“hairy”). Compare also Old English hǣriht (“hairy”) and ġehǣre (“hairy”). The sense "terrifying, scary" possibly results from a blend of hair-raising and scary.
From haircut + -y.
Across languages
Translations
163 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Arabic: مشعر — of a person
- Armenian: մազոտ (mazot) — of a person
- Aromanian: piros — of a person
- Belarusian: валаса́ты (valasáty) — of a person
- Bulgarian: космат (kosmat) — of a person
- Catalan: pelut — of a person
- Catalan: pilós — of a person
- Chinese Mandarin: 毛茸茸的 (máoróngrōng de) — of a person
- Chinese Mandarin: 多毛的 (duōmáo de) — of a person
- Chinese Mandarin: 長毛的 /长毛的 (zhǎngmáo de) — of a person
- Danish: håret — of a person
- Danish: behåret — of a person
- Dutch: harig — of a person
- Dutch: behaard — of a person
- South Efate: ululu — of a person
- Estonian: karvane — of a person
- Finnish: karvainen — of a person
- French: poilu — of a person
- Friulian: pelôs — of a person
- Galician: peludo — of a person
- Galician: cabeludo — of a person
- Georgian: თმიანი (tmiani) — of a person
- German: behaart — of a person
- German: haarig — of a person
- Greek: τριχωτός (trichotós) — of a person
- Ancient Greek: δασύς (dasús) — of a person
- Ancient Greek: πολύτριχος (polútrikhos) — of a person
- Ancient Greek: βλοσυρός (blosurós) — of a person
- Hebrew: שעיר — of a person
- Hungarian: szőrös — of a person
- Ingrian: karvain — of a person
- Italian: peloso — of a person
- Japanese: 毛深い (kebukai) — of a person
- Japanese: 毛むくじゃらの (kemukujara no) — of a person
- Kapampangan: mabuac (Baculud) — of a person
- Kapampangan: mabuwak (Wawa) — of a person
- Kapampangan: mabwak — of a person
- Kapampangan: mabuak — of a person
- Latin: pilōsus — of a person
- Latin: villōsus — of a person
- Latvian: matains — of a person
- Latvian: spalvains — of a person
- Macedonian: вла́кнест (vláknest) — of a person
- Macedonian: ко́смат (kósmat) — of a person
- Macedonian: ко́смест (kósmest) — of a person
- Maltese: muswaf — of a person
- Māori: pūhuruhuru — of a person
- Māori: tuahuru — of a person
- Norman: pouailu — of a person
- Norwegian Bokmål: behåret — of a person
- Norwegian Bokmål: behåra — of a person
- Norwegian Bokmål: håret — of a person
- Norwegian Bokmål: hårete — of a person
- Occitan: pelut — of a person
- Old English: rūh — of a person
- Persian: پرمو (pormu) — of a person
- Plautdietsch: hoarich — of a person
- Polish: włochaty — of a person
- Polish: owłosiony — of a person
- Portuguese: peludo — of a person
- Romanian: păros — of a person
- Russian: волоса́тый (volosátyj) — of a person
- Sardinian: pilosu — of a person
- Sardinian: pirosu — of a person
- Scottish Gaelic: molach — of a person
- Serbo-Croatian: dlakav — of a person
- Slovak: vlasatý — of a person
- Southern Altai: чачту (čačtu) — of a person
- Spanish: peludo — of a person
- Spanish: velludo — of a person
- Spanish: peloso — of a person
- Spanish: velloso — of a person
- Spanish: vellido — of a person
- Spanish: lanuginoso — of a person
- Spanish: cerdudo — of a person
- Swedish: hårig — of a person
- Tagalog: mabuhok — of a person
- Tibetan: སྤུ་མང་པོ (spu mang po) — of a person
- Turkish: kıllı — of a person
- Ukrainian: волоха́тий (voloxátyj) — of a person
- Ukrainian: волоса́тий (volosátyj) — of a person
- Welsh: blewog — of a person
- Yiddish: האָריק (horik) — of a person
- Armenian: թավամազ (tʻavamaz) — of an animal
- Armenian: բրդոտ (brdot) — of an animal
- Bulgarian: космат (kosmat) — of an animal
- Danish: lodden — of an animal
- Dutch: harig — of an animal
- Esperanto: vila — of an animal
- Estonian: karvane — of an animal
- Finnish: karvainen — of an animal
- Galician: peludo — of an animal
- German: pelzartig — of an animal
- Ancient Greek: δασύς (dasús) — of an animal
- Ancient Greek: πολύτριχος (polútrikhos) — of an animal
- Hungarian: szőrös — of an animal
- Ingrian: karvain — of an animal
- Latin: pilōsus — of an animal
- Latin: hispidus — of an animal
- Latvian: spalvains — of an animal
- Macedonian: вла́кнест (vláknest) — of an animal
- Macedonian: ко́смат (kósmat) — of an animal
- Macedonian: ко́смест (kósmest) — of an animal
- Marathi: केसाळ (kesāḷ) — of an animal
- Polish: włochaty — of an animal
- Portuguese: peludo — of an animal
- Russian: мохна́тый (moxnátyj) — of an animal
- Scottish Gaelic: molach — of an animal
- Slovak: chlpatý — of an animal
- Spanish: peludo — of an animal
- Spanish: lanudo — of an animal
- Spanish: peloso — of an animal
- Spanish: lanoso — of an animal
- Sranan Tongo: fugufugu — of an animal
- Swedish: hårig — of an animal
- Tagalog: mabalahibo — of an animal
- Turkish: kürklü — of an animal
- Turkish: postlu — of an animal
- Arabic: مُشَعَّر (mušaʕʕar) — of a body part other than the head
- Bulgarian: окосмен (okosmen) — of a body part other than the head
- Catalan: cabellut — of a body part other than the head
- Danish: håret — of a body part other than the head
- Danish: behåret — of a body part other than the head
- Dutch: harig — of a body part other than the head
- Dutch: behaard — of a body part other than the head
- Estonian: karvane — of a body part other than the head
- Finnish: karvainen — of a body part other than the head
- French: poilu — of a body part other than the head
- Galician: peludo — of a body part other than the head
- German: behaart — of a body part other than the head
- German: haarig — of a body part other than the head
- Hebrew: שעיר — of a body part other than the head
- Hungarian: szőrös — of a body part other than the head
- Ingrian: karvain — of a body part other than the head
- Italian: peloso — of a body part other than the head
- Latin: pilosus — of a body part other than the head
- Latvian: spalvains — of a body part other than the head
- Latvian: matains — of a body part other than the head
- Macedonian: вла́кнест (vláknest) — of a body part other than the head
- Macedonian: ко́смат (kósmat) — of a body part other than the head
- Macedonian: ко́смест (kósmest) — of a body part other than the head
- Khiamniungan Naga: tǖmāimài — of a body part other than the head
- Norman: pouailu — of a body part other than the head
- Norwegian Bokmål: behåret — of a body part other than the head
- Norwegian Bokmål: behåra — of a body part other than the head
- Norwegian Bokmål: håret — of a body part other than the head
- Norwegian Bokmål: hårete — of a body part other than the head
- Polish: zarośnięty — of a body part other than the head
- Polish: owłosiony — of a body part other than the head
- Portuguese: peludo — of a body part other than the head
- Russian: волоса́тый (volosátyj) — of a body part other than the head
- Slovak: chlpatý — of a body part other than the head
- Spanish: peludo — of a body part other than the head
- Spanish: velludo — of a body part other than the head
- Spanish: peloso — of a body part other than the head
- Spanish: velloso — of a body part other than the head
- Spanish: vellido — of a body part other than the head
- Swedish: hårig — of a body part other than the head
- Turkish: kıllı — of a body part other than the head
- Polish: ryzykowny — difficult, complex, intricate, or intimidating
- Polish: trudny — difficult, complex, intricate, or intimidating
- Spanish: peludo — difficult, complex, intricate, or intimidating
- Spanish: peliagudo — difficult, complex, intricate, or intimidating
Real reading context