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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
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.
See Examples For:
Countless karaoke nights and rainy drives have been scored to Tyler’s inimitable song, so much so that the opening piano notes of “Total Eclipse of the Heart” might precede Tyler’s substantial legacy.
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026
The cave preserved multiple fossil layers separated by carbonate deposits that formed during ancient rainy periods.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 5, 2026
Kyle Scheele, a 40-year-old from Springfield, Mo., came to the U.K. with his wife for a five-day hike through the Cotswolds, prepared for rainy days in the 60s and 70s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
With few exceptions, the limit applies to most appropriations of tax revenue, including money that lawmakers tuck away into the rainy day fund and other reserves.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026
The rainy season had kept the road too marshy to use for many weeks.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
"When you get hot spells, they're that much hotter. And when you get rainy spells, they're that much rainier," he said.
From Barron's ● Jun. 19, 2026
It's possible there were more hostile places on earth on Wednesday evening than Pittodrie; windier, rainier, colder, noisier.
From BBC ● Dec. 4, 2024
“It will shift to rainier, colder and windier” weather, she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 27, 2024
It’s possible that the Midwest and Great Lakes also have a rainier summer than usual.
From New York Times ● May 30, 2023
Beloved: The weather is as gray as England to-day, and much rainier.
From An Englishwoman's Love-Letters by Housman, Laurence
Local officials say this has been the rainiest February in the history of Juiz de Fora, with the current rainfall in the region already more than double the amount expected for the month.
From BBC ● Feb. 24, 2026
During the darkest and rainiest part of the year, it’s tempting to get comfortable on your couch and avoid leaving the house at all.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 15, 2023
Though Pu’u Kukui, the highest peak in the West Maui Mountains, remains one of the rainiest locations on the planet, the once-flourishing mid-elevation hillsides are droughted and eroding.
From Salon ● Dec. 7, 2023
By many measures, L.A. was far more prepared than San Francisco when it encountered its rainiest day of the water year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2023
Sometimes, on spring days, there will be the brightest, warmest sun and the darkest, rainiest clouds sharing the sky.
From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan
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.
