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
- pearliness noun
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.
"Thank you dentist" she smiled on the red carpet, showing off those pearly whites.
From BBC • Feb. 2, 2026
“Do I fit the criteria in terms of Christianity and in regard to St. Peter and pearly gates?”
From Salon • Oct. 19, 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
“The Office of Endangered Species has gone the way of the dusky seaside sparrow and the Sampson’s pearly mussel,” the story read.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 26, 2023
She smiled hugely, baring her pearly white teeth in what could only be called a wolfish grin.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
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.
