chalky
Americanadjective
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of or like chalk.
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of a chalklike consistency.
chalky soil.
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without resonance, color, warmth, etc..
several high tones that were quite chalky.
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Photography. lacking in detail, due to extreme contrast.
a chalky print.
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Sports Slang. relating to the competitor considered most likely to win by the oddsmakers.
Sports betting is boring if all you make are chalky picks—put some money on a long shot and live a little!
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of chalky
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English chalki, chalky; see origin at chalk, -y 1
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:
Fiber-drink concoctions of years past were lumpy or chalky and generally tasted awful, even if they managed to deliver more fiber itself.
From MarketWatch ● May 10, 2026
This year, when only four double-digit seeds reached the second round, the chalky strategy turned out to be the right one.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 24, 2026
"We're connecting tiny chalky organisms to planetary carbon flows," says Dr. Guerreiro.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 2025
In March, before the tough one-day classic Strade Bianche - a 215km race encompassing the loose, chalky roads of Tuscany - he was asked about his plan to win.
From BBC ● May 3, 2024
I don’t get the Tylenol down on the first try, and I’m embarrassed by the chalky gag that results.
From "Every Day" by David Levithan
The team concluded this was mainly due to texture, as participants reported the rice flour chocolate contained "a chalkier texture," while oat-flour-containing chocolates were described as "smoother, softer and creamier."
From Science Daily ● Feb. 12, 2024
They argue that slightly higher seams or a slightly chalkier surface forces them to make adjustments hitters don’t require.
From Washington Post ● May 14, 2022
It all seems suddenly to flash before my eyes — only the dust in Afghanistan was chalkier and finer than the dust from this walnut slab, which is old, but not Afghanistan old.
From Salon ● Nov. 14, 2018
Its surface is disconcertingly soft-looking, a beige putty color, waxy in places and chalkier in others.
From New York Times ● Mar. 27, 2018
His eyes rolled more wildly, while his face took on a chalkier hue.
From Round the Block by John Bell Bouton
After one of the two chalkiest first and second rounds ever, the regionals produced the best second weekend of the N.C.A.A. tournament in 20 years, and potentially set up two or three more great games.
From New York Times ● Apr. 1, 2019
The N.C.A.A. tournament’s second weekend opens Thursday with one of the two chalkiest brackets in history.
From New York Times ● Mar. 25, 2019
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.
