Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

leathery

American  
[leth-uh-ree] / ˈlɛð ə ri /

adjective

  1. like leather in appearance or texture; tough and flexible.

leathery British  
/ ˈlɛðərɪ /

adjective

  1. having the appearance or texture of leather, esp in toughness

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • leatheriness noun

Etymology

Origin of leathery

First recorded in 1545–55; leather + -y 1

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.

One of my favorite passages captures Mr. Haskell’s first encounter, in Australia, with a Moreton Bay fig tree, its thick, leathery foliage crowded by figbirds longing for the tree’s fruits.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Swell sharks depend on kelp to lay their leathery eggs, making them vulnerable to kelp forest loss.

From BBC • Oct. 14, 2025

First, one must peel back its leathery skin, which, when ripe, is a beautiful shade of pinkish-red, sometimes with faint streaks of gold or light green.

From Salon • Sep. 6, 2025

Finally, he reached the patch of ground-hugging branches about 90 feet wide with stiff, leathery green leaves, their edges wavy and edged with sharp spines.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 6, 2023

At last it lifted away with a leathery ‘thwap’.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

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.