gauzy

American  

[gaw-zee] / ˈgɔ zi /

adjective

gauzier, gauziest

1. like gauze; transparently thin and light.

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gauzy British  

/ ˈɡɔːzɪ /

adjective

1. resembling gauze; thin and transparent

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Other Word Forms

• gauziness
  noun
• gauzily
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of gauzy

First recorded in 1790–1800; gauze + -y ¹

Explanation

A gauzy fabric is sheer and lightweight. You might have gauzy curtains that allow light to shine through them as they blow in the breeze. Use the adjective gauzy to describe something light and translucent. A girl's curtain of long hair and her summery cotton dress might both be gauzy. The word comes from gauze, which is a light, filmy fabric made of a thin, sheer material. The French root is gaze, which in turn comes either from the Arabic gazz, "raw silk," or possibly from the city of Gaza, where this type of fabric is made.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gauzy gauzier gauziest

Of course, ABC would make one of its core players the gauzy focus of a post-Oscars special, doted on by many of the 22 women who came before Paul.

From Salon ● Mar. 21, 2026

From each real-life situation, Mr. Coyle extrapolates concepts that are compelling, if a little gauzy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 4, 2026

Her white umbrella, matching wide-brimmed hat and long gauzy veil was complemented by a sleeveless turquoise dress over pleated white trousers.

From Barron's ● Jan. 24, 2026

Her Instagram account, which is currently deactivated, featured a strangely homogenous series of headshots, all showing the gauzy, unreal lighting that's characteristic of AI image generators.

From BBC ● Jan. 16, 2026

I drew the gauzy curtains shut, my fingers sliding over their silky surface.

From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken

Other recommendations are gauzier, such as carving out no-tech family time and petitioning schools to go phone-free.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2025

Verdon Winkler employs multiple techniques, notably drypoint and chine collé, to produce gauzier, almost painterly images in what might be called a rainbow of grays.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 7, 2021

It all adds up to vapor, an escalating unreality made even gauzier by the indications that the earth has reached the terminal stage of its human infection.

From The New Yorker ● May 21, 2019

Ms. Hammer’s gauzier sequences notwithstanding, the film’s most commanding image is the housekeeper’s description of the ruthless monasticism Bishop maintained and the compulsive writing she practiced in her studio.

From New York Times ● May 25, 2015

Here was no vulgar yellow, no crass and hackneyed gold … and yet there was a clarified and gauzier shade of gold … the color of the moon by daylight, say….

From Gallantry Dizain des Fetes Galantes by Cabell, James Branch

Although one of the thinnest and gauziest of modern silk fabrics, it is relatively strong considering its lightness.

From Textiles For Commercial, Industrial, and Domestic Arts Schools; Also Adapted to Those Engaged in Wholesale and Retail Dry Goods, Wool, Cotton, and Dressmaker's Trades by Dooley, William H. (William Henry)

Of course there was mess-table talk—but that is always the gauziest myth.

From The Tempering by Buck, Charles Neville

Some flowers look as if they were encased in ice, and others seem wrapped in the gauziest of veils, which, flimsy as it looks, cannot be completely cleared from the leaves.

From A Bird-Lover in the West by Miller, Olive Thorne

Related Words

• translucent