wavy
1 Americanadjective
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curving alternately in opposite directions; undulating.
a wavy course;
wavy hair.
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abounding in or characterized by waves.
the wavy sea.
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resembling or suggesting waves.
a cotton material with a wavy pattern.
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vibrating or tremulous; wavering; unsteady.
noun
adjective
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abounding in or full of waves
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moving or proceeding in waves or undulations
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(of hair) set in or having waves and curls
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unstable or wavering
Usage
What does wavy mean? Popularized by hip-hop artist Max B, wavy is slang for something "cool," "chill," or "excellent."
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of wavy
Explanation
If something is wavy, it's either very slightly curly, like your sister's wavy hair, or it has a surface or edge that curves back and forth, like the wavy corrugated metal on a barn roof. Anything wavy is in some way composed of waves, whether it's your dog's wavy coat or the wavy surface of Lake Michigan. The adjective can describe an undulating movement or a still, static shape: "The wavy fries just taste better to me than the straight ones." Both wave and wavy stem from the Old English wagian, "to move to and fro."
Vocabulary lists containing wavy
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.
Bernard lives next to the project site and has documented multiple desert tortoises on and around her property — including Squiggles, who was given the nickname for leaving wavy tracks in the sand.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026
Normally stalling storms tend to be dying out, as they pull up cold water from the depths of the ocean and are exposed to wavy, up-and-down winds in the atmosphere tearing them apart.
From Barron's • Oct. 27, 2025
The same shimmering effect that makes distant horizons appear wavy on a hot day causes starlight to flicker and distort as it travels through the air.
From Science Daily • Oct. 25, 2025
Loose wavy hair, fresh homemade cooking and a farmhouse aesthetic bring to mind “Little House on the Prairie” and help viewers forget the crises of the world outside.
From Salon • Sep. 22, 2025
They zigzagged through the wavy trunks at speed, with the lumbering Marco and Cook struggling to keep up in the moonlight.
From "The Boy Who Met a Whale" by Nizrana Farook
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.
