Etymology
Origin of powdery
First recorded in 1400–50, powdery is from the late Middle English word powdry. See powder 1, -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.
This is how you prevent the flat, powdery taste that comes from sprinkling seasoning over finished sauce.
From Salon • Apr. 7, 2026
Autochromes possess the light-dappled depth of Impressionist paintings, the powdery precision of pointillism, the honest blushes of butterfly cheeks, and the palpable textures of gleaming silks and gilded velvets.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025
When tested on wheat, these compounds helped protect against fungal infections such as powdery mildew.
From Science Daily • Oct. 12, 2025
This is stored inside a pill that can pass through the stomach unscathed and reach the intestines where it dissolves to release its poopy powdery payload.
From BBC • Jun. 7, 2025
Then they heaved themselves up, staggered away from the ice cliffs, and collapsed in a drift .of powdery snow.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
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.
