adjective, spon·gi·er, spon·gi·est.
of the nature of or resembling a sponge; light, porous, and elastic or readily compressible, as pith or bread. having the absorbent characteristics of a sponge; absorbing or holding liquid or yielding liquid when pressed. lacking in firmness or solidity: spongy wood; a spongy feeling from the car brakes.
moist and soft; soggy: spongy ground.
porous but hard, as bone.
Origin of spongy
First recorded in
1530–40; sponge +
-y1Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Related Words for spongy
soft,
porous,
mushy,
springy,
squishy,
rubbery,
elastic,
light,
resilient,
yielding,
absorptive,
pulpy,
cribriform,
cushiony,
pappy
Examples from the Web for spongy
Contemporary Examples of spongy
The half-circle of bread gets squeezed open to become a pocket like a huge, spongy pita.
But last fall it seemed as if the spongy, sickly-sweet confections would disappear from the face of the earth.
The tenderloin is rare when soft and spongy, and it becomes firmer as it reaches medium to well done.
Historical Examples of spongy
The loaves will be found to rise well in the oven, to be more light and spongy, and also whiter than bread in the common way.
The stem is shorter than the diameter of the cap, smooth, white, and solid or spongy.
(g) The spongy lead may be bulged, or the positives may be buckled.
Wood soft, that of the roots light and spongy and used for corks.
This is due to the action between the spongy lead and the electrolyte.
British Dictionary definitions for spongyadjective -gier or -giest
of or resembling a sponge, esp in texture, porosity, elasticity, or compressibilityspongy bread; spongy bone
of or like a sponge in respect of its capacity to absorb fluid and yield it when compressed
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
Word Origin and History for spongyadj."soft, elastic," 1530s, from sponge (n.) + -y (2). Related: Sponginess.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
adj.
Resembling a sponge in appearance, elasticity, or porosity.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
