willowy
Americanadjective
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pliant; lithe.
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(of a person) tall, slender, and moving gracefully.
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abounding with willows.
adjective
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slender and graceful
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flexible or pliant
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covered or shaded with willows
Etymology
Origin of willowy
Explanation
If someone's tall, slender, and graceful, you can describe them as willowy. Your willowy friend might prefer hip-hop, but she is as lithe and elegant as a ballet dancer. When a person is willowy, they're as long, lean, and flexible as the branch of a willow tree blowing in the breeze. This adjective was first used in this way around 1790 — earlier, it meant "shaded or bordered by willow trees." And in the 17th century, before willowy was coined, the now-obsolete willowish was used to mean "the color of willow leaves."
Vocabulary lists containing willowy
The Ruins of Gorlan
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Little Fires Everywhere
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Slay
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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.
Tall and willowy, she wore glasses and the same short brown bob she had as a teenager.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
Illuminated by fairy lights and a rosy sunset, a willowy queen named Sheryka lip-synced to Toni Braxton and danced to a brisk guaguancó number with a friend.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2026
Younglings hatch in the ocean, then drift to the coast as willowy, transparent glass eels.
From National Geographic ● Feb. 9, 2024
Pite’s choreography rides on flow — a willowy stream of energy that sends the body bending and curving through space.
From New York Times ● Mar. 31, 2023
Her mother was a European elf with a fiery temper and willowy figure.
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
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.
