depilatory

American  

[dih-pil-uh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] / dɪˈpɪl əˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i /

adjective

1. capable of removing hair.

---

noun

plural

depilatories

1. a depilatory agent.

2. such an agent in a mild liquid or cream form for temporarily removing unwanted hair from the body.

depilatory British  

/ -trɪ, dɪˈpɪlətərɪ /

adjective

1. able or serving to remove hair

---

noun

1. a chemical that is used to remove hair from the body

Etymology

Origin of depilatory

1595–1605; < Medieval Latin dēpilātōrius < Latin dēpilā ( re ) ( see depilate) + -tōrius -tory ¹

Example Sentences

Since this is feel-good TV, McKinnon quietly strides over to the man and places a can of depilatory powder on his sink top, giving him a meaningful look before walking away.

From Salon • Oct. 10, 2025

Nair kicked off its famous “Nair for Short Shorts!” campaign in the ’70s, so any show about teenagers in the ’70s would be incomplete without a depilatory bonding scene.

From Slate • Feb. 8, 2021

Gottlieb was, in the early sixties, put in charge of a plan to depose Fidel Castro by making his beard fall out, but he couldn’t figure out how to deploy a depilatory.

From The New Yorker • Aug. 26, 2019

Has some sort of depilatory polluted London's water?

From New York Times • Nov. 14, 2017

I used to believe that the expression “caught by the short hairs” meant a captive held with a depilatory string.

From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston