wintry

American  

[win-tree] / ˈwɪn tri /

Also wintery

adjective

wintrier, wintriest

1. of or characteristic of winter: wintry skies.

   wintry blasts;

   wintry skies.

2. resembling winter weather; having snow, frost, cold, storms, etc..

   We had wintry weather well into May last year.

3. suggestive of winter, as in lack of warmth or cheer.

   a wintry manner.

   Synonyms:

   cheerless, bleak, cold

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wintry British  

/ ˈwɪntərɪ, -trɪ, ˈwɪntrɪ /

adjective

1. (esp of weather) of or characteristic of winter

2. lacking cheer or warmth; bleak

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Other Word Forms

• unwintry adjective
• wintrily adverb
• wintriness noun

Etymology

Origin of wintry

First recorded before 900; Old English wintrig (not recorded in Middle English ); winter, -y ¹

Example Sentences

"This finally breaks, allowing a northerly air mass to set in, bringing much drier, brighter conditions, sunshine on the way on Friday and Saturday and a few wintry showers on Friday."

From BBC

After relentless wet and gloomy conditions, wintry weather is set to return to parts of the UK with snow and ice in the forecast for many.

From BBC

One night a young witch was walking in the wintry woods of her human world when she caught the silver light of the moon shining through a rip between the worlds.

From Literature

While this will bring lower temperatures and some wintry showers, for most it will be drier and sunnier compared with recent weeks.

From BBC

Pollsters even suggest with some caution due to undecided voters and wintry weather that the LDP and its coalition partner could secure 310 seats needed for a handy two-thirds majority.

From Barron's

Related Words

• bleak
• chilly
• desolate
• freezing
• frigid
• frosty
• frozen
• icy