fleshy
Americanadjective
-
having much flesh; plump; fat.
-
consisting of or resembling flesh.
-
Botany. consisting of fleshlike substance; pulpy, as a fruit; thick and tender, as a succulent leaf.
adjective
-
fat; plump
-
related to or resembling flesh
-
botany (of some fruits, leaves, etc) thick and pulpy
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of fleshy
Middle English word dating back to 1325–75; see origin at flesh, -y 1
Explanation
Something that's fleshy is plump and thick, like the fleshy fruit of a ripe peach or the fleshy leaves of your giant rubber plant. When it's not describing the soft, almost meaty tissue of a plant, the adjective fleshy is most often used for people who are plump or well-padded. While today the word tends to be somewhat derogatory and judgmental, the original meaning of fleshy was simply "consisting of muscle and flesh."
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.
We see the folds best in raking light—directed at the painting from an acute angle—and the fleshy effect was created by the painter zigzagging the wax pigment across her neck in layers.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026
The Oscar they won for the fleshy organic work they did with Brendan Fraser on “The Whale” is nowhere to be seen.
From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2025
The sweet, fleshy and richly aromatic Alphonso is a prized export from the region, but yields across the districts of Raigad, Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri, where the variety is predominantly grown, are lower, according to Joshi.
From BBC • Mar. 9, 2025
Remarkably, these same species also later feed on the fleshy leaves carrying the seeds, aiding in seed dispersal.
From Science Daily • Dec. 4, 2024
I’d find a face filter to turn her into a green chameleon with its fleshy pink mouth wide open in shock.
From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina
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.
