lumpy

American  

[luhm-pee] / ˈlʌm pi /

adjective

lumpier, lumpiest

1. full of lumps: lump.

   lumpy gravy.

2. covered with lumps, lump, as a surface.

3. heavy or clumsy, as in movement or style; crude.

   a lumpy gait; a lumpy narrative.

4. (of water) rough or choppy.

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lumpy British  

/ ˈlʌmpɪ /

adjective

1. full of or having lumps

2. (esp of the sea) rough

3. (of a person) heavy or bulky

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Other Word Forms

• lumpily adverb
• lumpiness noun
• unlumpy adjective

Etymology

Origin of lumpy

First recorded in 1700–10; lump ¹ + -y ¹

Example Sentences

“There are more important things to think about on Thanksgiving than worrying about a lumpy gravy!”

From Salon

Huge areas of seabed around the Cook Islands are carpeted in polymetallic nodules, lumpy rocks studded with rare earths and critical minerals such as cobalt, nickel and manganese.

From Barron's

"It's all just the result of the constants of nature varying as the universe ages and becomes lumpy," he says.

From Science Daily

Why are the beds at hotels so much more comfortable than the rumpled, lumpy things we settle for at home?

From The Wall Street Journal

The fragmented nature of demand means that ASM’s orders can be lumpy as they are determined by how much chip makers are willing to invest on semiconductor-making equipment each quarter.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• bumpy
• chunky
• irregular