sunny
Americanadjective
-
full of or exposed to sunlight
-
radiating good humour
-
of or resembling the sun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of sunny
Explanation
Sunny means shining with bright sunlight, like a beautiful sunny Saturday at the beach. It can also mean cheerful, like your sunny, upbeat best friend. When the sun is shining, it's a sunny day, and when you're smiling and friendly, you're sunny too. Sunny has been used in this figurative way since the 16th century, and in the 1830s, sunny side came to mean "optimistic outlook." However, if you order your eggs sunny side up, it just means you'll get two fried eggs with bright yellow, runny yolks.
Vocabulary lists containing sunny
Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -y
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Spelling Practice 1, Unit 6
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
That is the backdrop to Burnham's arrival in Downing Street, just as it was for Sir Keir Starmer 746 days ago - on another sunny July day, just two years back.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
Battery storage soaks up excess electricity during sunny and windy days and releases the juice later when it is needed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
It is forecast to intensify and develop more widely this week and even though temperatures may fall over the weekend, the sunny skies look set to continue.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
On a recent sunny afternoon, volunteers took part in a collaboration between Farm Party and the Solano Canyon Community Garden.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
And the lacquer made every piece glimmer like still water on a sunny day.
From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry
It will then turn drier and sunnier for all parts over the weekend with some light winds.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
Hiring trends have been looking sunnier this spring after a weak patch for the labor market in the fall and winter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
But these are all emergency constraints; the long-term trendlines are much sunnier.
From Slate ● Mar. 12, 2026
It’s just that comedies take sunnier roads to similar destinations.
From Salon ● Feb. 26, 2026
I thought it'd get sunnier once we crossed the bridge, but the weather’s overcast, a dull gray.
From "The House That Lou Built" by Mae Respicio
High UV levels are also expected in the sunniest spots.
From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026
The UK had its warmest and sunniest year on record in 2025, according to the Met Office, with an average temperature of 10.09C.
From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2026
The school operates in Redding, she said, because it is one of the sunniest cities in the United States, allowing for more than 300 flying days per year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 27, 2026
The last twelve months were also the sunniest on record with 1648.5 hours recorded, 61.4 hours more than the previous record set in 2003.
From BBC ● Jan. 2, 2026
And none of us, even on the sunniest days, went without his furled umbrella.
From "Boy: Tales of a Childhood" by Roald Dahl
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
