milky

American  

[mil-kee] / ˈmɪl ki /

adjective

milkier, milkiest

1. of or like milk, especially in appearance or consistency.

2. white or whitish in color.

3. giving a good supply of milk.

4. meek, tame, timid, or spiritless.

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milky British  

/ ˈmɪlkɪ /

adjective

1. resembling milk, esp in colour or cloudiness

2. of or containing milk

3. spiritless or spineless

4. Judaism another word for milchik

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Other Word Forms

• milkily adverb
• milkiness noun

Etymology

Origin of milky

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at milk, -y ¹

Explanation

Anything milky looks like milk — it's whitish and cloudy. Soapy bathwater, pale skin, and the sap inside some plants can all be described as milky. You can use milky to talk about a friend's clear, light complexion, and you can also use it to describe something that has milk in it: "I like my tea sweet and milky." Sometimes you'll find this word describing something that's clouded, like an elderly dog's milky eyes. Our galaxy, in fact, is known as the Milky Way because its shining band of stars can't be individually seen without a telescope, so they appear cloudy or milky.

Example Sentences

It begins with a suburban idyll, bedroom curtains milky white in the morning sunlight, a mother waking to the radio, father and son out for an early bike ride.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

Not cloying, not milky, not trying to be liked by everyone at the bake sale.

From Salon • Mar. 5, 2026

The security guard reclaimed his chair, sipping on a milky bubble tea.

From Slate • Oct. 10, 2025

The fluctuating layer of smoke in our atmosphere meant that the expected blue skies in the evening and morning have taken on more of a dirty orange or milky white hue.

From BBC • Jun. 8, 2025

Even when I look straight into the milky blue eyes, I can’t find myself anymore.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

Related Words

• frosted
• opaque
• pearly