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Synonyms

doughy

American  
[doh-ee] / ˈdoʊ i /

adjective

doughier, doughiest
  1. of or like dough, especially in being soft and heavy or pallid and flabby.

    a doughy consistency; a fat, doughy face.


doughy British  
/ ˈdəʊɪ /

adjective

  1. resembling dough in consistency, colour, etc; soft, pallid, or flabby

"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

Etymology

Origin of doughy

First recorded in 1595–1605; dough + -y 1

Explanation

Something that's doughy is as squishy and soft as uncooked dough. If your cookies always come out a little doughy, you might not be baking them long enough. Some foods are deliberately doughy, like a very soft steamed dumpling or a delicious doughy doughnut. Others are doughy by accident, because they've been undercooked or made incorrectly. You can describe other things as doughy too, if they're cushiony — a kitten might purr as it kneads its mother's doughy belly, for example. Doughy comes from dough, with its Indo-European root meaning "smear" or "knead."

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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.

I called Barcelona home for a spell, and I feel the draw to cap this visit by seeing an old doughy friend.

From Salon • Feb. 5, 2026

They have been described by resident Stan Tobin as doughy - "like someone had tried to bake bread and done a lousy job" - with an odour reminiscent of vegetable oil.

From BBC • Oct. 12, 2024

He often presents himself in close-up so his doughy features seem warmly welcoming.

From New York Times • Jan. 19, 2024

Even the doom-laden everything bagel that provides the film’s titular motif is redeemed, by the end, as a doughy symbol of wholeness, a poppy-seed circle of life.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2023

The rice was judged either too greasy or too dry, the bread declared too doughy or too crispy.

From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini