mealy

American  

[mee-lee] / ˈmi li /

adjective

mealier, mealiest

1. having the qualities of meal; powdery; soft, dry, and crumbly.

   mealy potatoes; a mealy stone.

2. of or containing meal; farinaceous.

   baked fish with a mealy crust.

3. covered with or as if with meal or powder.

   flowers mealy with their pollen.

4. flecked as if with meal; spotty.

   horses with mealy hides.

5. pale; sallow.

   a mealy complexion.

6. mealy-mouthed.

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mealy British  

/ ˈmiːlɪ /

adjective

1. resembling meal; powdery

2. containing or consisting of meal or grain

3. sprinkled or covered with meal or similar granules

4. (esp of horses) spotted; mottled

5. pale in complexion

6. short for mealy-mouthed

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Other Word Forms

• mealiness noun

Etymology

Origin of mealy

First recorded in 1525–35; meal ² + -y ¹

Explanation

Mealy things contain or resemble flour or any other grain that's been ground into a powdery substance (i.e., meal). Good cornbread is moist and cake-like, instead of dry and mealy. You'll usually find the adjective mealy describing food that doesn't taste great, whether it's an undercooked, mealy sauce or an overripe, mealy apple. In both of these examples, the food tastes dry and bland, and has a crumbly feeling on the tongue. Other mealy things might look like meal, like a mealy sandbox or the mealy bark of a tree. The Old English source of mealy is melu, "meal or flour."

Example Sentences

The female version is Julia Roberts’ “Runaway Bride,” so mealy about her own feelings that she ditches four grooms at the altar.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 24, 2025

Smaller squash tend to be less mealy and/or fibrous, and more flavorful.

From Washington Times • Jul. 27, 2023

These slow-moving pests are covered with a mealy wax and tend to cluster in large numbers to feed, appearing as cottony masses in leaf axils and other protected areas.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 14, 2022

"Chilled tomatoes will have an unpleasantly mealy texture and a muted flavor," Ziata wrote.

From Salon • Oct. 1, 2022

The potato is dry and mealy in my mouth.

From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper