woolly

or wool·y

[ woo l-ee ]

/ ˈwʊl i /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR woolly ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, wool·li·er, wool·li·est.

consisting of wool: a woolly fleece.

resembling wool in texture or appearance: woolly hair.

clothed or covered with wool or something resembling it: a woolly caterpillar.

Botany. covered with a pubescence of long, soft hairs resembling wool.

like the rough, vigorous atmosphere of the early West in America: wild and woolly.

fuzzy; unclear; disorganized: woolly thinking.

noun, plural wool·lies.

Western U.S. a wool-bearing animal; sheep.

Usually woollies. a knitted undergarment of wool or other fiber.

any woolen garment, as a sweater.

Dialect. a dust ball.

Nearby words

woolgrower, woollcott, woolled, woollen, woolley, woolly, woolly aphid, woolly bear, woolly mammoth, woolly manzanita, woolly monkey

Origin of woolly

First recorded in 1580–90; wool + -y¹

Related forms

wool·li·ness, noun

Regional variation note

10. See dust ball.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for woolly

An army of Wildlings, some giants, and a woolly mammoth or two?
Team USA Goalie Tim Howard Goes Viral: All the Best Memes|Melissa Leon|July 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Rockefeller Republicans have long gone the way of the woolly mammoth.
Tom Petri's Primary Challenge May Mark End Of Rockefeller Republicanism|Ben Jacobs|April 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And every second belief in the world is a woolly superstition.
William H. Gass: How I Write|Noah Charney|March 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In a typical post, she wears a crazy-looking pinafore with an outrageous collar, round-frame shades, and thick, woolly knee socks.
Meet Ophelia Horton, London’s 12-Year-Old Fashion Blogger: The New Tavi?|Tom Sykes|August 2, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Did she learn from the New York 23rd District election that being a moderate Republican is a lot like being a woolly mammoth?
Next Stop, the Senate|Sally Denton|November 7, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Some good strains have a mixture of silky coat with the hard, and this is preferable to a woolly coat.
Sporting Dogs|Frank Townend Barton
It ate out of my hand and rubbed its woolly head against my leggings.
Little Rivers|Henry van Dyke
I have read in several authors that the natives of Australia have woolly hair.
Expedition into Central Australia|Charles Sturt
The hand of the Captain had accidentally rested upon the woolly head in putting down the letter.
Children of the Tenements|Jacob A. Riis
From her woolly hair and very dark but merry face, I imagined her to have a touch of Guadeloupe or Martinique blood.
Claret and Olives, from the Garonne to the Rhone|Angus B. Reach

British Dictionary definitions for woolly

woolly

sometimes US wooly

/ (ˈwʊlɪ) /

adjective woollier or woolliest or sometimes US woolier or wooliest

consisting of, resembling, or having the nature of wool

covered or clothed in wool or something resembling it

lacking clarity or substancewoolly thinking

botany covered with long soft whitish hairswoolly stems

US recalling the rough and lawless period of the early West of America (esp in the phrase wild and woolly)

noun plural woollies or sometimes US woolies

(often plural) a garment, such as a sweater, made of wool or something similar

Western US and Australian (usually plural) an informal word for sheep

Derived Forms

woollily, adverbwoolliness, noun

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