chewy

American  

[choo-ee] / ˈtʃu i /

adjective

chewier, chewiest

1. (of food) not easily chewed, as because of toughness or stickiness; requiring much chewing.

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chewy British  

/ ˈtʃuːɪ /

adjective

1. of a consistency requiring chewing; somewhat firm and sticky

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• chewiness
  noun

Inflected Forms

Adjectives

• chewier
  comparative
• chewiest
  superlative

Etymology

Origin of chewy

First recorded in 1920–25; chew + -y ¹

Explanation

Chewy things have a springy quality when you grind them between your teeth. When you get braces, you have to avoid chewy foods like hard bagels and sticky toffee. Chewy things really give your jaws a workout when you eat them. Foods as varied as pizza crusts, overcooked meat, and dried apricots all have one thing in common: You have to chew them well before swallowing, and there's a firmness or stickiness between your teeth as you eat. Chewy comes from chew and its Old English root, ceowan.

Example Sentences

The device, which is about the size of a tube of lip balm and costs $90, is sold primarily through the pet supply website Chewy and connects to the owner’s smartphone through uCloudlink’s GlocalMe app.

From Slate • Jun. 20, 2026

For its fiscal first quarter ended May 3, Chewy posted a profit of $94.8 million, or 23 cents a share.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026

Chewy CEO Sumit Singh sparked concerns just weeks ago when he noted that consumers were “more stretched” than they had been entering the year.

From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026

Chewy cut its sales outlook for the year, up against a more dynamic consumer backdrop.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026

Three pouches of dried papaya Chewy Sugary Waxy Sticky Not the same at all.

From "Inside Out and Back Again" by Thanhha Lai