dreamy
Americanadjective
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dreamier,
comparative
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dreamiest
superlative
adjective
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vague or impractical
-
resembling a dream in quality
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relaxing; gentle
dreamy music
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informal wonderful
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having dreams, esp daydreams
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of dreamy
Explanation
Things that are dreamy seem slightly strange and unreal, but in a lovely way. A dreamy tune on the radio might make you close your eyes and smile. Your favorite tea shop might have a dreamy atmosphere, and your favorite movie might be slow and dreamy, with dreamlike images and meditative music. If a person is dreamy, she tends to live in her head, thinking or daydreaming. Informally, you can also describe something or someone that's wonderful or nice to look at as dreamy: "He's my favorite singer, and he's so dreamy." This casual meaning began as US teen slang in the 1940s.
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:
For generations, summer in Europe has been languid and dreamy, bringing fine weather and lengthy days on sunny beaches and terraces.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
On the dreamy ballad “Después de Ti,” she was joined on guitar by Greg Gonzalez of Cigarettes After Sex, reenacting their performance together from April, when Karol headlined Coachella.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
Wooden panels carved by the Indonesian Mentawai people in the first half of the 20th century are animated by playful monkeys that recall the dreamy animals of Henri Rousseau.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
"My crush is on you, Ellie," screams one fan, as dreamy synths usher in the anthemic chorus: "Me and you were meant to be in loooove!"
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
“Extra biscuits,” Bobby Gene chimed in, his voice dreamy.
From "The Season of Styx Malone" by Kekla Magoon
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While Justin Vernon of Bon Iver contributes writing and production to several tracks, the dreamier aesthetic of his own records is nowhere to be found.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
It became even dreamier when he took the outright lead after four birdies on the first nine without dropping a shot.
From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2025
And all the dreamier if they put that team in her town — and not that stepsister city across the river.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2025
A new album devoted to his work, performed by the Quatuor Bozzini, shows off this dreamier side of Johnson, as in the fifth and final movement of “Combinations for String Quartet.”
From New York Times ● Mar. 31, 2022
Her constant prattle had given way to a dreamier state.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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We asked our staffers for their dreamiest expectations and they didn’t hold back: space epics, Matt Damon in a helmet and, yes, a “Jackass” movie.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2026
Britain’s dreamiest indie-pop export has come along since making her highly anticipated Seattle debut at Chop Suey two and a half years ago.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 12, 2024
When blended with vegan milk, maple syrup, and non-dairy chocolate, silken tofu whips up into the dreamiest mousse.
From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2021
The last iteration is the strangest and dreamiest and reverses almost everything, especially gender.
From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2020
In the other rooms of the house her parents and Rafik were wrapped in their deepest, dreamiest breaths by now.
From "Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye
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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.