wavy
1 Americanadjective
-
wavier,
comparative
-
waviest
superlative
-
curving alternately in opposite directions; undulating.
a wavy course;
wavy hair.
-
abounding in or characterized by waves.
the wavy sea.
-
resembling or suggesting waves.
a cotton material with a wavy pattern.
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vibrating or tremulous; wavering; unsteady.
noun
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wavies
plural
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Adjectives
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.
See Examples For:
Shortly after 6am, an analyst at the University of Utah Seismograph Stations sees a series of sharp spikes interrupting the usually quiet wavy lines recorded by Yellowstone’s earthquake monitors.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
It also has a large, wavy American Flag painted on its vertical stabilizer, while the older jets have a rectangular flag.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
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
Portugal will look wavy in this kit inspired by the Atlantic Ocean, which borders the country.
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026
‘Was Otter Clan,’ muttered the Walker, clawing his neck; where the crusted skin was tattooed with wavy blue-green lines.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
We would never have been such good friends," said Nan on one occasion, "if I hadn't wanted to go to your house, Gabriel, to see how your grandmother wavies her hair.
From Gabriel Tolliver A Story of Reconstruction by Joel Chandler Harris
On fair days the sun flashed from white fleets of "wavies," bound through seas of April skies to far Arctic ports.
From The Whelps of the Wolf by George P. Marsh
September waned, and the laggard rear-guard of the brant and Hutchins geese, riding the first stinging northers, passed south in the wake of the wavies.
From The Whelps of the Wolf by George P. Marsh
High in the air, invisible, migrating wavies winged into the south, the distant gabble of their passing falling weirdly earthward.
From Deep Furrows by Hopkins Moorhouse
When cooler and warmer waters meet, the sharp contrast changes the air above, making the jet stream wavier and slower, according to researchers.
From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026
A 2022 study suggests the jet stream will became wavier and stagnant as the planet warms, allowing weather like extreme rainfall to "park" over a region and causing dangerous flooding.
From National Geographic ● Jan. 26, 2024
The idea is the jet stream — the upper air circulation that drives weather — is wavier in amplified global warming, said University of Wisconsin-Madison climate scientist Steve Vavrus.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 16, 2024
Attending means signing a wavier to "accept all safety risks", read the email to students.
From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2023
Seven looked up and saw a picture of what looked like Thorn with shorter, wavier hair.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
Last year was the waviest example of this pressure phenomenon in 145 years, said Overland.
From Scientific American ● Jan. 5, 2011
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.
