adjective
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characterized by a large rainfall
a rainy climate
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wet or showery; bearing rain
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of rainy
before 1000; Middle English reyny, Old English rēnig. See rain, -y 1
Explanation
Rainy things are affected by rain in some way, like rainy weather or a rainy afternoon. You can describe certain places as rainy, like Mt. Waialeale on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, or Mawsynram in India, both of which are often cited as being the most rainy place on earth. The phrase "a rainy day" uses rainy figuratively, to represent possible future bad luck or hard times: "You should always save some of your salary in case of a rainy day."
Vocabulary lists containing rainy
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:
On a rainy Wednesday afternoon, a novelty toy and games store in the quiet Brooklyn neighbourhood of Cobble Hill was seeing much busier foot traffic than usual.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
The period covers central Mexico’s rainy season, Taylor said, and it matches the time when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sees an increase in illnesses caused by the cyclospora parasite.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
September is the peak of Thailand's rainy season, but many Bangkok residents said this year's floods seemed worse than previous ones.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
A pre-El Niño reminder: Turn off your automatic watering during rainy periods.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
On a rainy Saturday morning in early May 1857, John left his apartment and climbed up one flight.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
"When you get hot spells, they're that much hotter. And when you get rainy spells, they're that much rainier," he said.
From Barron's ● Jun. 19, 2026
It's possible there were more hostile places on earth on Wednesday evening than Pittodrie; windier, rainier, colder, noisier.
From BBC ● Dec. 4, 2024
“It will shift to rainier, colder and windier” weather, she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 27, 2024
It’s possible that the Midwest and Great Lakes also have a rainier summer than usual.
From New York Times ● May 30, 2023
The rainier, softer skies of the western coasts have their result in smoother skins and better complexions on that side of the Islands than in the drier east.
From The Long White Cloud by William Pember Reeves
Santiago has seen 74mm of rainfall in the first seven days of this month, making it the rainiest October for the area in 76 years, meteorologists have said.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
The decades of Genghis’s rise, the author tells us, were Central Asia’s rainiest in 2,000 years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
So what made them take the trip to the mall on one of the year’s rainiest days?
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 24, 2025
During the darkest and rainiest part of the year, it’s tempting to get comfortable on your couch and avoid leaving the house at all.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 15, 2023
Sometimes, on spring days, there will be the brightest, warmest sun and the darkest, rainiest clouds sharing the sky.
From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan
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