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watery

American  
[waw-tuh-ree, wot-uh-] / ˈwɔ tə ri, ˈwɒt ə- /

adjective

  1. pertaining to or connected with water.

    watery Neptune.

  2. full of or abounding in water, as soil or a region; soggy; boggy.

  3. containing much or too much water.

    a watery paste; a watery batter.

    Synonyms:
    dilute, weak, thin
  4. soft, soggy, tasteless, etc., due to excessive water or overcooking.

    watery vegetables; a watery stew.

  5. tearful.

  6. of the nature of water.

    watery vapor.

  7. resembling water in appearance or color.

    eyes of a watery blue.

  8. resembling water in fluidity and absence of viscosity.

    a watery fluid.

  9. of poor or weak quality; thin, washy, or vapid.

    watery prose.

  10. consisting of water.

    a watery grave.

  11. discharging, filled with, or secreting a waterlike morbid substance.


watery British  
/ ˈwɔːtərɪ /

adjective

  1. relating to, consisting of, containing, or resembling water

  2. discharging or secreting water or a water-like fluid

    a watery wound

  3. tearful; weepy

  4. insipid, thin, or weak

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of watery

before 1000; Middle English; Old English wæterig. See water, -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.

See Examples For:

Other apps might even be inclined to deploy a sunny icon, because technically it is going to be warm in most of that area, and watery only in a different section.

From Slate Aug. 21, 2026

Some who have been struck by it describe having to use the toilet up to 20 times a day, due to the frequent and explosive nature of the watery diarrhoea that's the main symptom.

From BBC Jul. 30, 2026

Reports of suspected cyclospora cases in the Midwest began circulating earlier in July, with a growing number of consumers in Michigan, Ohio and other nearby states complaining of cramping, nausea and watery diarrhea.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 23, 2026

The regulators are investigating a multistate outbreak of cyclospora, a parasite that is responsible for making at least 1,600 people sick with a severe gastrointestinal illness that causes watery diarrhea and abdominal cramping.

From MarketWatch Jul. 20, 2026

Something to do with the microwaves trapped in the watery fruit and getting really hot.

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas

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