adjective
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resembling a pearl, esp in lustre
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of the colour pearl; pale bluish-grey
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decorated with pearls or mother-of-pearl
noun
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a London costermonger who wears on ceremonial occasions a traditional dress of dark clothes covered with pearl buttons
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(plural) the clothes or the buttons themselves
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of pearly
First recorded in 1400–50, pearly is from the late Middle English word peerly. See pearl, -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.
“Look at me,” he jested, pulling off his cap to reveal sparse pearly fuzz.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026
While many species can regenerate their teeth, human beings only get one chance at growing a healthy set of adult pearly whites.
From BBC • Apr. 13, 2025
Even more provocatively, the authors propose those pearly bumps serve as control knobs, influencing how quickly and precisely the cell fires its signals.
From Science Magazine • Dec. 2, 2024
They’re seemingly white at a distance, but look closely, and you’ll find each pearly bloom has watercolor shades of blue, grass green and grayed mauve with a golden center.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 13, 2024
The sky was a very pale, pearly grey, and the mist lay in great rolls, about the edges of the field, and thick on the horizon.
From "I'm the King of the Castle" by Susan Hill
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.
