fibrous

American  

[fahy-bruhs] / ˈfaɪ brəs /

adjective

1. containing, consisting of, or resembling fibers.

---

fibrous British  

/ ˈfaɪbrəs /

adjective

1. consisting of, containing, or resembling fibres

   fibrous tissue

---

Other Word Forms

• fibrously adverb
• fibrousness noun
• interfibrous adjective
• multifibrous adjective
• nonfibrous adjective
• subfibrous adjective
• unfibrous adjective
• unfibrously adverb

Etymology

Origin of fibrous

First recorded in 1620–30; fibr- + -ous

Explanation

Something that's fibrous is coarse and stringy, like thick yarn or twine. Some baskets are made of woven and twisted fibrous branches. Fibrous things look like the fibers that are braided or twisted together to make a length of rope or jute. Many tree roots are fibrous, as are many vines and branches. A complicated hairdo may look like it's made of fibrous cords of hair. When you're eating something fibrous, it's hard to chew, like a chunk of fibrous meat in your stew or a fibrous broccoli stalk in your stir-fry. Fibrous comes from the Latin fibra, "fiber or filament."

Example Sentences

The more glands and fibrous tissue a person has, the denser their breasts.

From Slate • Feb. 4, 2026

This involves the buildup of dense, fibrous tissue around the tumor, made up of cells and proteins that stiffen and inflame the area.

From Science Daily • Jan. 30, 2026

Asbestos is a mined fibrous silicate that was widely used in home insulation, automobiles and other applications through the 1970s until its use was slowly phased out as its health impacts became widely known.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 29, 2026

Black cardamom, on the other hand, “is almost three times the size of a green cardamom pod and is much more fibrous and tough,” she writes.

From Salon • Jan. 25, 2026

Everywhere they came upon beetles, spiders and small lizards which scurried away as they pushed through the fibrous, resistant heather.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams

Related Words

• hairy