spongy

[spuhn-jee]

adjective

spongier, spongiest 

1. of the nature of or resembling a sponge; light, porous, and elastic or readily compressible, as pith or bread.

2. having the absorbent characteristics of a sponge; absorbing or holding liquid or yielding liquid when pressed.

3. of or relating to a sponge.

4. lacking in firmness or solidity.

   spongy wood; a spongy feeling from the car brakes.

5. moist and soft; soggy.

   spongy ground.

6. porous but hard, as bone.

ˈspongy

/ ˈspʌndʒɪ /

adjective

1. of or resembling a sponge, esp in texture, porosity, elasticity, or compressibility

   spongy bread

   spongy bone

2. of or like a sponge in respect of its capacity to absorb fluid and yield it when compressed

Other Word Forms

• spongily adverb
• sponginess noun
• unspongy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of spongy¹

First recorded in 1530–40; sponge + -y ¹

Example Sentences

The result -- a spongy, tofu-textured mass -- is dried, turned out and delivered.

Read more on Barron's

These days, the soil would thaw by midsummer, and Roz left behind a trail of deep footprints in the spongy, soggy ground.

Read more on Literature

Its paint peeled, and its original wooden floors turned spongy.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Stem cells are special cells produced by bone marrow, a spongy tissue found in the centre of some bones, that can turn into different types of blood cells.

Read more on BBC

Among the efforts to make the city spongier — and therefore less dependent on imported water — is the Safe Clean Water Program, which L.A.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• mushy 
• porous 
• rubbery 
• soft 
• springy 
• squishy