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Synonyms

curly

American  
[kur-lee] / ˈkɜr li /

adjective

curlier, curliest

  1. curling curling or tending to curl.

    curly blond hair.

  2. having curls (usually used in combination).

    curlyheaded.

  3. having a rippled or undulating appearance, as cut and finished wood.

    curly maple.
curly British  
/ ˈkɜːlɪ /

adjective

  1. tending to curl; curling

  2. having curls

  3. (of timber) having irregular curves or waves in the grain

  4. difficult to counter or answer

    a curly question
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • curliness noun

Etymology

Origin of curly

First recorded in 1720–30; curl + -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.

Joseph Jr. — a wiry 22-year-old with a head full of curly dark brown hair — runs briskly toward the goal line with a black cast on his left arm.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 5, 2026

A bespectacled researcher who often twirls his curly hair, Amodei authors lengthy documents philosophizing about the importance of AI safety and is known for his deliberate approach to problem solving.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 3, 2026

Even after 60 years, Mair Morgan can still remember the face of the little girl with "beautiful black curly hair" whose body she had to identify.

From BBC • Feb. 22, 2026

Among the AI-generated images that have gone viral is one of a little girl with curly hair on a tricycle.

From Barron's • Jan. 27, 2026

His curly brown hair was matted around the sides and back from weeks of being crammed under that hat, or perhaps a helmet.

From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack

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.