frizzy

American  

[friz-ee] / ˈfrɪz i /

adjective

frizzier, comparative frizziest superlative

1. formed into small, tight curls, as hair; frizzed.

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frizzy British  

/ ˈfrɪzɪ, ˈfrɪzlɪ /

adjective

1. (of the hair) in tight crisp wiry curls

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• frizziness
  noun
• unfrizzy
  adjective
• frizzily
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Adjectives

• frizzier
  comparative
• frizziest
  superlative

Etymology

Origin of frizzy

First recorded in 1865–70; frizz ¹ + -y ¹

Explanation

Frizzy things are curled tightly. Your dog's frizzy fur might be especially hard to brush. You'll most often find the adjective frizzy describing hair. Frizzy hair has with small, tight curls that tend to get kinky or fuzzy. People with straight hair are sometimes envious of their friends with frizzy hair, but the opposite is also true. Frizzy was coined in the 1840s, from the older word frizz, which probably comes from the French friser, "to curl or dress the hair."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

frizzy frizzier

But in a 1989 profile by the US Drug Enforcement Administration, he has frizzy hair and rougher features.

From Barron's ● Feb. 23, 2026

With her long, frizzy hair, musicality and earth-mother vibe, Ms. King fit in, though she was comparatively unfree, being “a single mother when most of the women around her were not.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2025

When I was a kid, I remember, I had short, frizzy hair with glasses.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2025

To the end of his life, he had the aura of a nervous whiz kid with oversize glasses and frizzy hair.

From New York Times ● May 5, 2024

Her long frizzy hair was damp and hung loose down her back, plaited only at the very end.

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy

“It’s curlier and frizzier and I love it,” Kouatchou said.

From Reuters ● Oct. 24, 2021

If you have frizzy hair, the brush element is key if you want to blow-dry your hair without making it into an even frizzier mess.

From Slate ● May 14, 2019

Needless to say, the dye job did not help matters: This summer, my bob is thirstier, frizzier, and generally more pissed off than ever before.

From Slate ● Aug. 22, 2018

Holding on to the hair means it can’t fly around and become frizzier.

From The Guardian ● Jul. 16, 2015

Her hair grew even frizzier because she kept running her hands through it in frustration.

From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld