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Synonyms

waxy

1 American  
[wak-see] / ˈwæk si /

adjective

  • waxier,
    comparative
  • waxiest
    superlative
  1. resembling wax in appearance or characteristics.

    His face had a waxy shine.

  2. abounding in, covered with, or made of wax.

    Be careful! The floor is waxy.

  3. pliable, yielding, or impressionable.

    a waxy personality.


waxy 2 American  
[wak-see] / ˈwæk si /

adjective

Chiefly British.
  • waxier,
    comparative
  • waxiest
    superlative
  1. angry.


waxy 1 British  
/ ˈwæksɪ /

adjective

  1. resembling wax in colour, appearance, or texture

  2. made of, covered with, or abounding in wax

"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

waxy 2 British  
/ ˈwæksɪ /

adjective

  1. informal bad-tempered or irritable; angry

"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

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Adjectives

Etymology

Origin of waxy1

First recorded in 1545–55; wax 1 + -y 1

Origin of waxy2

First recorded in 1850–55; wax 3 + -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:

A&W is known for frosty glass mugs, but our root beers came in quart-sized waxy paper containers shaped like traffic cones.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

"Keep dogs and children away from any unusual waxy or oily substances and avoid handling them with bare hands."

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

The waxy scent that drifts up the escalators at the Los Angeles Central Library is immediately familiar to anyone who remembers the Mold-A-Rama.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

They had a bouncy, waxy quality to them, almost marshmallow-like, but without any sort of discernible flavor.

From Salon ● May 21, 2025

He’s extremely spiky—all good pineapples are—and his leaves are waxy and bright green.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

Yet it ends up tasting too fruity, and the “candy bits” are actually colored sprinkles, which make the bars look good but make the already waxy white confection even waxier.

From Slate ● Oct. 30, 2014

Most of the crowd know her by now, and pretend they don’t see, ... and she gets waxier and waxier.

From The Independence of Claire by Mrs. George de Horne Vaizey

We received some very hot 'n' waxy cover-art entries for January's "Chris Cole Turns It Up To Eleven" giveaway, but only one was the hottest and the waxiest.

From Time Magazine Archive

The rhododendron leaves grew wide and green and when their color was at its deepest and waxiest, they suddenly surrendered it and lapsed into limp yellow hearts.

From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison

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