wavy¹

[wey-vee]

See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com

adjective, wav·i·er, wav·i·est.

curving alternately in opposite directions; undulating: a wavy course; wavy hair.
abounding in or characterized by waves: the wavy sea.
resembling or suggesting waves: a cotton material with a wavy pattern.

vibrating or tremulous; unsteady; wavering.

Origin of wavy¹

First recorded in 1555–65; wave + -y¹

Related formswav·i·ly, adverbwav·i·ness, noun

wavy²

[wey-vee]

noun, plural wa·vies.

wavey.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for wavy

Contemporary Examples

With her sweet smile, rosy cheeks, and wavy white-blond hair, she found money was easy to come by.
Hallucinating Away a Heroin Addiction
Abby Haglage
May 4, 2014
Boland is an immature kid with a lean, unsmiling face, ice-blue eyes, and wavy blond hair.
One Red Rose for the Green Kid Who Won the Kentucky Derby
Red Smith
May 3, 2014
The crowd collectively grooved out in the wavy interpretive dance-esque style that Deadheads do.
Bob Weir on Drugged-Out Deadheads and Living in Jerry Garcia’s Shadow
Emily Shire
April 25, 2014
Gone are the wavy curls, glistening with sweat and flopping a full second behind his every move.
Roger Federer’s Hair Evolution
Sujay Kumar
June 9, 2013
Perched atop a mountain of wavy, pulled-back hair is a mangled ball of manliness, a holdover from the days of the samurai.
Joakim Noah Has the Manliest Bun Ever
Sujay Kumar
May 15, 2013

Historical Examples

She stooped ever so slightly and touched the upstanding mop of his wavy hair.
The Leopard Woman
Stewart Edward White
The caps are often large and wavy, resembling yellow cauliflower.
The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise
M. E. Hard
The stem is slender, wavy, same color as the pileus, pruinose at the apex.
The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise
M. E. Hard
He saw her eyes and the wavy shadows of her hair on her forehead.
Keziah Coffin
Joseph C. Lincoln
The head of the arch is wavy and formed mostly of convex curves.
Portuguese Architecture
Walter Crum Watson

British Dictionary definitions for wavy

wavy

adjective wavier or waviest

abounding in or full of waves
moving or proceeding in waves or undulations
(of hair) set in or having waves and curls

unstable or wavering

Derived Formswavily, adverbwaviness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for wavy

adj.

1580s, from wave (n.) + -y (2).

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wavy2

Examples from the Web for wavy

Contemporary Examples

With her sweet smile, rosy cheeks, and wavy white-blond hair, she found money was easy to come by.

Boland is an immature kid with a lean, unsmiling face, ice-blue eyes, and wavy blond hair.

The crowd collectively grooved out in the wavy interpretive dance-esque style that Deadheads do.

Gone are the wavy curls, glistening with sweat and flopping a full second behind his every move.

Perched atop a mountain of wavy, pulled-back hair is a mangled ball of manliness, a holdover from the days of the samurai.

Historical Examples

She stooped ever so slightly and touched the upstanding mop of his wavy hair.

The caps are often large and wavy, resembling yellow cauliflower.

The stem is slender, wavy, same color as the pileus, pruinose at the apex.