jowly
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of jowly
Explanation
If someone has a double chin and extra flesh around their neck and jaw, you can describe them as jowly. Santa Claus is an example of a jowly gentleman. A heavy, older face is sometimes a bit jowly, with flesh that is settled and drooping around the jaw line and chin. It's not complimentary to describe someone as jowly, but it can be accurate. This adjective comes from jowl, "fold of flesh under the jawbone," from the Middle English cholle, "flesh hanging from the neck or chin," which shares a root with the Old English word for "chin."
Vocabulary lists containing jowly
I Survived the American Revolution, 1776
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Chomp
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The Hiding Place
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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 mug shot shows the suspect’s head lowered as if to obscure a jowly double-chin, eyes narrowed into a glare, lips firmly pursed and yellow pompadour swirled into a cotton-candy crown.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 29, 2023
The breed, also known as the English or British bulldog, earned comparisons with Winston Churchill for its jowly face, and was historically seen as a symbol of courage and endurance.
From BBC • Jun. 14, 2022
Tanned and jowly, with bushy eyebrows and dark wavy hair, he was sometimes described as the French Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian media mogul who ran the A.C.
From Washington Post • Oct. 4, 2021
The son of an immigrant junk dealer, Asner had a fireplug build, jowly countenance and workingman’s semblance that are not traditionally considered the raw materials of stardom.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 3, 2021
The innkeeper's jowly face is turning as red as the boy's hair.
From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz
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.
