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:
It might be fun to watch them with that in mind, maybe on a rainy afternoon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
You “absolutely need a mudroom,” in the Northeast, since people walk in with snow and rain on their boots and need a place to drop off “sporty, sweaty, muddy, rainy, snowy” stuff.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026
The measure could incentivize lawmakers to save more money because funds tucked away in the rainy day fund would no longer be considered expenditures counted toward the spending limit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
The cave preserved multiple fossil layers separated by carbonate deposits that formed during ancient rainy periods.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 5, 2026
“I got donuts. It’s cold and rainy out, so I thought…maybe we can have a lazy day.”
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
"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
February tends to be one of the city’s rainier months.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 7, 2024
“It will shift to rainier, colder and windier” weather, she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 27, 2024
The rainy December day closed in a rainier night.
From Sir Noel's Heir A Novel by May Agnes Fleming
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
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
And after years-long groundwater depletion, last August saw the rainiest day in Death Valley’s history, 1.7 inches, which triggered flash floods that scoured the landscape and damaged roads.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2023
As mayor, he has been particularly vocal about the dearth of drinking water in Kathmandu — one of the world’s rainiest capitals — but where most people rely on trucked-in water.
From New York Times ● May 12, 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.
