velvety
Americanadjective
-
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
Etymology
Origin of velvety
Explanation
Anything velvety is smooth or soft in some way, like creamy chocolate or a soothing voice. Have you ever felt velvet? It’s one of the smoothest fabrics. That’s why you can use the word velvety not only for things that are like velvet, but for anything smooth, whether it’s a texture, sight, or sound. The soft fur of a puppy is velvety. A lounge singer’s gentle voice is velvety. A drink that goes down easily is velvety. If something is rough, jarring, jagged, or sharp in some way, it’s the opposite of velvety.
Vocabulary lists containing velvety
The House on Mango Street
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
All The Feels: Touching Words For Textures
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"The House on Mango Street" and "The Road Not Taken"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Beloved for its mildly sweet, nutty flavour and velvety texture, it later evolved into a party food, consumed as a jam or stewed with sticky rice balls in coconut milk.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
It said it was distinctive with a velvety covering of ginger-yellow hairs across its body and no black hairs.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
In the opening track “Lugares,” Selines meets her acoustic guitar strumming with a velvety croon, singing of leaping into the unknown — despite understanding the difficulties that will come from leaving home.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
From her velvety blue couch in an Upper West Side luxury apartment, Semple is a press-play talker, stopping mostly when interrupted.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026
I thought sitting on one of those red velvety couches chock-full of fringy pillows was probably akin to suffocating.
From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool
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.
