adjective
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characterized by a large rainfall
a rainy climate
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wet or showery; bearing rain
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of rainy
before 1000; Middle English reyny, Old English rēnig. See rain, -y 1
Explanation
Rainy things are affected by rain in some way, like rainy weather or a rainy afternoon. You can describe certain places as rainy, like Mt. Waialeale on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, or Mawsynram in India, both of which are often cited as being the most rainy place on earth. The phrase "a rainy day" uses rainy figuratively, to represent possible future bad luck or hard times: "You should always save some of your salary in case of a rainy day."
Vocabulary lists containing rainy
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.
But if you simply must have your cauliflower florets, Markon notes that recent and upcoming rainy conditions may also lead to black mold, mildew and off-color in fresh supplies.
From Salon • May 27, 2026
Instead, he will leave the Premier League knowing that he reshaped the English game as much as any individual who has ever paced the rainy touchlines from Newcastle to Southampton.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
You want to avoid inflation eating into that fund while it waits for that proverbial rainy day.
From MarketWatch • May 14, 2026
On a rainy, cold morning Masooda makes her way to a hillside cemetery in north-west Kabul to visit the grave of her younger brother Mirwais.
From BBC • May 12, 2026
She roused them early even though nobody in his right mind would wash his car on a rainy day.
From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt
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.
