adj
Meaning 1
Made of wool.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- Put on a woolly jumper and turn down the thermostat.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
woolly
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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/ˈwʊli/
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Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -ʊli
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CMU ARPABET: W UH1 L IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
adj
Meaning 2
Having a thick, soft texture, as if made of wool.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- woolly hair
- There was nothing left in the fruit bowl but a brown banana and a couple of woolly pears.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 3
Unclear, fuzzy, hazy, cloudy.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively
Examples
- That's the sort of woolly thinking that causes wars to start.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 4
Clothed in wool.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 5
Cross; irritable.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, slang
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 6
Uncivilized and unruly.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, informal
Examples
- wild and woolly
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 7
A sweater or similar garment made of wool.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: informal
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 8
A sheep not yet shorn.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, slang
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 9
A piece of woolwork.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 10
A woolly back; someone from the area around Liverpool, not from Liverpool itself.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: derogatory
Qualifier: Liverpool slang
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adjective satellite
Meaning 11
covered with dense cottony hairs or hairlike filaments
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- the woolly aphid has a lanate coat resembling cotton
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: lanate
Antonyms: none provided
adjective satellite
Meaning 12
covered with dense often matted or curly hairs
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- woolly lambs
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: wooly, wooly-haired, woolly-haired
Antonyms: none provided
adjective satellite
Meaning 13
confused and vague; used especially of thinking
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- muddleheaded ideas
- your addled little brain
- woolly thinking
- woolly-headed ideas
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: addled, befuddled, muddled, muzzy, wooly, woolly-headed, wooly-minded
Antonyms: none provided
adjective satellite
Meaning 14
having a fluffy character or appearance
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: flocculent, wooly
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From Middle English wolly, equivalent to wool + -y. Cognate with Saterland Frisian wullich (“woolly”), Dutch wollig (“woolly”), German wollig (“woolly”), Swedish ullig (“woolly”).
From woolly back.
Across languages
Translations
41 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Bulgarian: вълнен (vǎlnen) — made of wool
- Catalan: llanós — made of wool
- Dutch: wollig — made of wool
- French: laineux — made of wool
- Friulian: lanôs — made of wool
- German: wollen — made of wool
- German: Woll- — made of wool
- Greek: μάλλινος (mállinos) — made of wool
- Hungarian: gyapjú — made of wool
- Hunsrik: wollich — made of wool
- Irish: olla — made of wool
- Irish: olanda — made of wool
- Italian: lanoso — made of wool
- Latin: lānōsus — made of wool
- Macedonian: во́лнен (vólnen) — made of wool
- Polish: wełniany — made of wool
- Portuguese: lanoso — made of wool
- Romanian: lânos — made of wool
- Russian: шерстяно́й (šerstjanój) — made of wool
- Spanish: lanoso — made of wool
- Turkish: yünlü — made of wool
- Welsh: gwlanog — made of wool
- German: wollartig — having a thick, soft texture, as if made of wool
- German: wollig — having a thick, soft texture, as if made of wool
- German: zottig — having a thick, soft texture, as if made of wool
- German: schwammig — having a thick, soft texture, as if made of wool
- German: lose — having a thick, soft texture, as if made of wool
- Macedonian: ру́нтав (rúntav) — having a thick, soft texture, as if made of wool
- Macedonian: вла́кнест (vláknest) — having a thick, soft texture, as if made of wool
- Swedish: ullig — having a thick, soft texture, as if made of wool
- Bulgarian: неясен (nejasen) — unclear, fuzzy, hazy, cloudy
- Bulgarian: объркан (obǎrkan) — unclear, fuzzy, hazy, cloudy
- German: blumig — unclear, fuzzy, hazy, cloudy
- German: wolkig — unclear, fuzzy, hazy, cloudy
- German: verklärt — unclear, fuzzy, hazy, cloudy
- German: unscharf — unclear, fuzzy, hazy, cloudy
- German: verschwommen — unclear, fuzzy, hazy, cloudy
- German: schwammig — unclear, fuzzy, hazy, cloudy
- German: vage — unclear, fuzzy, hazy, cloudy
- German: unkonkret — unclear, fuzzy, hazy, cloudy
- Macedonian: не́јасен (néjasen) — unclear, fuzzy, hazy, cloudy
Real reading context