fibrous
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of fibrous
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."
Vocabulary lists containing fibrous
List 8
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Most Beautiful Roof in the World
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
List 9
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
The fibrous leftover from beer production also serves as a "local alternative," Munk said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026
Those signals direct the immune cells away from cancer cells and toward the fibrous bands, where the T cells become trapped.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 25, 2026
They’re structurally dense, meaning they contain more glandular and fibrous tissue than fat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 4, 2026
The characterization of dense breasts refers to how much fat, glandular tissue, and fibrous tissue are in the mix.
From Slate ● Feb. 4, 2026
“Estha Mon!” he would call out, in his high, piping voice, frayed and fibrous now, like sugarcane stripped of its bark.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
![]()
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.