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.
Jowly, with a neatly trimmed mustache, Francis was the country’s foremost expert on influenza.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 7, 2021
Jowly, at least 40 Ibs. overweight, "He looks, talks and walks like Daley" as Thompson delights in putting it.
From Time Magazine Archive
Jowly Jack has been skipping a few contests in favor of some fishing and hunting, but when he does play, he averages more winnings than any other man on the tour.
From Time Magazine Archive
Jowly, confident Lonsdale arrived in London only a few months ago bearing a Canadian passport and birth certificate.
From Time Magazine Archive
"Indeed," Jowly, balding Janos Slynt looked rather hfce a frog, a smug frog who had gotten rather above himself.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
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.
