adjective
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tending to curl; curling
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having curls
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(of timber) having irregular curves or waves in the grain
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difficult to counter or answer
a curly question
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of curly
Explanation
Something that's curly is wavy, coiled, or spiral-shaped. While you might envy your friend's straight, shiny hair, she may be equally envious of your wild, curly hair. You can add curly ribbons to a plain package to dress it up, or buy kale in different varieties, including one with curly leaves. You're most likely to use the adjective curly, however, to describe someone's hair, if it falls in ringlets. Curly comes from curl, which was originally crulle, probably from the Middle Dutch word krul, "curly."
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.
Carlos showed up for Round One looking like Curly Howard–though the cut has grown out and improved over the two week tournament.
From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 7, 2025
The Packers, who won NFL titles under Curly Lambeau in 1929, ’30 and ’31, won the title again under Vince Lombardi to end the 1965 season, beating the Cleveland Browns in the championship game 23-12.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 31, 2025
Belichick joins George Halas and Curly Lambeau as the only coaches with six NFL championships.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 11, 2024
The song was composed in 1964 by Claude "Curly" Putnam, an American songwriter who grew up in northern Alabama, just over 100 miles from Nashville, Tennessee, the beating heart of country music in the US.
From BBC • Nov. 17, 2023
Curly could hear the dogs barking ferociously in the camper bed, heaving themselves against the truck’s tailgate.
From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen
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.
