ripply

[rip-lee]

adjective

1. characterized by ripples; ripple; rippling. ripple.

2. sounding like rippling ripple water.

Word History and Origins

Origin of ripply¹

First recorded in 1765–75; ripple ¹ + -y ¹

Example Sentences

The tall grass was thick and ripply, like wind on water, and often erupted with birds that flew alongside our car and sometimes outpaced us because Soda Lake Road, the lone paved road, was pocked with gaping potholes and puddles of concerning depth.

From Los Angeles Times

The copperplate lines are so exact they mimic the individual venation of feathers; the neck of a gyrfalcon takes on all the ripply realism of moiréd silk.

From New York Times

Zevin, 45, with her penetrating gaze and her shock of ripply black hair, doesn’t look tired but oh, she is.

From Los Angeles Times

“It was brilliant, like a molten lava caldron above the deep blue ripply waves,” said Mr. Kentrianakis, who was too excited to sleep the night before.

From New York Times

The farmers grow two types of kelp – ripply sugar kelp and ribbon-like skinny kelp – which Atlantic then processes into a line of goods they sell online, to grocery stores, fast-casual chains, meal kit companies such as Daily Harvest, and national restaurants.

From The Guardian

Related Words

• rough 
• uneven 

When To Use

What does ripply mean?

Ripply is used to describe things that have ripples—small waves, ruffles, or wrinkles on a surface, such as water, fabric, clouds, or hair.A raindrop causes ripples in a puddle. A soft gust of wind can cause ripples on the surface of a lake, on the surface of a sheet hanging from a clothesline, or through the tall grasses in the meadow. Ripples aren’t typically breaks in the surface where they appear—they are disturbances that change its shape momentarily.The word can also be applied to waves or wrinkles involving intangible or abstract things, such as ripples of cause and effect, but ripply is typically used in the context of tangible things.Ripple can also refer to a cascading sound, like that of rippling water. Ripply is sometimes used to describe the sound of such water.Example: I love how the wind makes the surface of the lake ripply.