Synonyms

velvety

American

[vel-vi-tee] / ˈvɛl vɪ ti /

adjective

suggestive of or resembling velvet; smooth; soft.

velvety rose petals; a velvety voice; a velvety cream sauce.
(of liquor) smooth-tasting; mild; mellow.

a velvety Scotch.

Other Word Forms

unvelvety adjective
velvetiness noun

Etymology

Origin of velvety

First recorded in 1745–55; velvet + -y ¹

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 velvety silhouette feels as distant as the sea, whose dark surface is sliced by the banister.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026

The velvety tree ant forms a millions-strong “social insect carpet that spans the mountains,” said Joseph Parker, a biology professor and director of the Center for Evolutionary Science at Caltech.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 2026

Touch plays its part too, binding tastes and smells together and fixing our preferences for runny or firm eggs, and the velvety, luxuriousness gooeyness of chocolate.

From Science Daily • Feb. 9, 2026

The entire upper half of the canvas is an abstraction of mottled brushstrokes ranging from charcoal gray to a deep velvety black that surrounds the head like a heavy halo.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 29, 2025

I’d draw a rose, with a velvety red bloom and a green stem and yellow-green leaves coming from it.

From "Out of My Mind" by Sharon M. Draper

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023