woolen

American  

[wool-uhn] / ˈwʊl ən /

especially British, woollen

noun

1. any cloth of carded wool yarn of which the fibers vary in length: bulkier, looser, and less regular than worsted.

2. woolens, wool cloth or clothing.

---

adjective

1. made or consisting of wool.

   woolen cloth.

2. of or relating to wool or woolen fabrics.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• half-woolen
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of woolen

before 1050; Middle English wollen (adj. and noun), Old English wullen, wyllen (noun). See wool, -en ²

Example Sentences

By the 1980s tiny Mauritius, with a population of approximately one million, became the third-largest exporter of woolen knitwear in the world.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026

These materials are the difference between a dark winter sweater and a bright summer tank top, a luxurious cashmere scarf versus rough woolen mittens.

From Slate • Sep. 2, 2025

A vintage air was evoked in a faded black leather menswear coat, crumpled houndstooth skirt and wrinkled woolen socks.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 28, 2023

An only child, her parents were woolen mill workers in Dewsbury, a town southwest of Leeds, and she left school at 16 to become a dancer.

From New York Times • Feb. 27, 2023

Its only inn is a single room, divided by a woolen blanket to separate where the innkeeper sleeps and where he keeps his one table and two benches.

From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz