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

Brisk northwesterly winds could bring wintry showers to the areas of northern England and drizzle in the lead up to New Year's Day.

From BBC

“From my living-room window as I write,” she assures her readers, “I can look out across the broad front lawns of our farm… like a lovely picture postcard of wintry New England.”

From Salon

This is the moment where the whole bowl comes into focus — the fragrant little flourish that ties every warm and wintry element together.

From Salon

Aid groups said shelter supplies entering Gaza fall far short of what is needed to deal with the wintry weather.

From The Wall Street Journal

Christmas cards often depict snow that is "deep and crisp and even", but often a "white Christmas" will be much less wintry in reality.

From BBC

Related Words

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