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Synonyms

rainy

American  
[rey-nee] / ˈreɪ ni /

adjective

rainier, rainiest

  1. characterized by rain.

    rainy weather; a rainy region.

  2. wet with rain.

    rainy streets.

  3. bringing rain.

    rainy clouds.
rainy British  
/ ˈreɪnɪ /

adjective

  1. characterized by a large rainfall

    a rainy climate

  2. wet or showery; bearing rain

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • rainily adverb
  • raininess noun
  • unrainy adjective

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."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing rainy

Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -y

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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.

The approaching rainy season offers some relief as storms tamp down temperatures.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

What if your guest wants to lounge in bed on a rainy day and wonders where all those cushions went?

From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026

This was in the 1990s, so he stored them away "for a rainy day".

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

The bad: cold, rainy weather that won’t make any I Love New York highlight reels.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

Although it was the rainy season and everything was green, there was disease in the area, and people were worried about the cattle.

From "Facing the Lion" by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton and Herman Viola

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.