plummy

American  

[pluhm-ee] / ˈplʌm i /

adjective

plummier, plummiest

1. containing or resembling plums.

2. good or desirable.

   a plummy part for a good actress.

3. richly or mellowly resonant.

   a plummy speaking voice.

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plummy British  

/ ˈplʌmɪ /

adjective

1. of, full of, or resembling plums

2. informal (of speech) having a deep tone and a refined and somewhat drawling articulation

3. informal choice; desirable

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Etymology

Origin of plummy

First recorded in 1750–60; plum + -y ¹

Explanation

Something excellent or desirable is plummy, like the plummy seats you scored for a popular Broadway play — right up front where you hear every word of the actors’ plummy, or rich sounding, voices. The adjective plummy is, quite straightforwardly, a way to talk about anything that tastes like a plum. Imagine someone sipping from a glass of wine, describing its plummy notes. In Britain, it's used far more often as an informal way to say "very desirable," like an actor's plummy role in a new movie, or "upper class," like your wealthy cousin's plummy accent. It's also applied to sounds that are rich and full.

Example Sentences

Leto’s grumbling Brit-inflected baritone is an unrecognizable concoction of trilled r’s and plummy vowels — and the best performance he’s done in years.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026

“I’ve been a garden-variety political commentator for most of my career,” he said in a plummy Sydney drawl.

From Slate • Mar. 31, 2024

Forget every store-bought version: This is deeply plummy, pleasantly sour, possibly citrusy, with a slight spicy bite.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 14, 2022

Announcers wore dinner jackets as well as their plummy accents, “as a courtesy to the live performers with whom they would be consorting.”

From New York Times • Apr. 4, 2022

The baker whose pillowy, plummy Buchtel rolls were voted Bavaria's best.

From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper

Related Words

• mellow
• pleasant