adjective
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covered with soft fine hair or feathers
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light, soft, and fluffy
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made from or filled with down
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resembling downs; undulating
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slang sharp-witted; knowing
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of downy
Explanation
Things that are downy are very soft and fluffy. Babies are sometimes born with little tufts of downy hair on their heads. A teenage boy who wants to grow a beard will be frustrated by the downy hairs on his chin, and you could also describe the feeling of a peach as downy. When you rip your winter coat, the downy feathers inside might start floating out behind you in a trail wherever you go. These are also known as down, or the soft feathers that typically grow on a young bird — this is the origin, in fact, of downy.
Vocabulary lists containing downy
A Boy Called Bat
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Selection Vocabulary 1, Unit 2
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Wolf Brother
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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.
His earliest memories of fabric were totally sensory, he said, recalling the downy feel of a jamawar shawl at home in Srinagar and the soft warmth of his mother's shahtoosh saris.
From BBC • Nov. 1, 2024
In warm weather, it’s alive with nuthatches, chickadees, sometimes a downy woodpecker.
From Seattle Times • May 24, 2024
"Our hypothesis is that these bladder cells also protect against other plant diseases like downy mildew, a fungal disease which severely limits quinoa yields," says Max Moog.
From Science Daily • Nov. 22, 2023
The Italian government last month allocated a modest one million euros to help grape producers hurt by downy mildew.
From Reuters • Sep. 15, 2023
“I wish that were true,” said Sam, stroking the downy head.
From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
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.
