woolly

American  

[wool-ee] / ˈwʊl i /

Or wooly

adjective

woollier, woolliest

1. consisting of wool.

   a woolly fleece.

2. resembling wool in texture or appearance.

   woolly hair.

3. clothed or covered with wool or something resembling it.

   a woolly caterpillar.

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

5. like the rough, vigorous atmosphere of the early West in America.

   wild and woolly.

6. fuzzy; unclear; disorganized.

   woolly thinking.

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noun

woollies plural

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

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

3. any woolen garment, as a sweater.

4. Dialect. a dust ball.

woolly British  

/ ˈwʊlɪ /

adjective

1. consisting of, resembling, or having the nature of wool

2. covered or clothed in wool or something resembling it

3. lacking clarity or substance

   woolly thinking

4. botany covered with long soft whitish hairs

   woolly stems

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

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noun

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

2. (usually plural) an informal word for sheep

Regionalisms

See dust ball.

Other Word Forms

• woollily
  adverb
• woolliness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of woolly

First recorded in 1580–90; wool + -y ¹

Explanation

If something is woolly, it's covered in (or made of) soft, curly fur. Don't forget to wear your woolly hat — it's cold out there! You can use this adjective for anything made from wool, like your favorite woolly sweater or the woolly socks your grandma knits. It's also useful for things that look or feel like a sheep's woolly coat: "Look at those strange, woolly clouds!" "He shaved his woolly beard off!" Informally, it can be a great way to describe confusion or befuddlement, like the woolly thoughts that go through your mind when you're absolutely exhausted.

Example Sentences

But even if we’re meant to view our woolly antagonists as sheeple, after a fashion, “The Sheep Detectives” culminates on an optimistic note for both the four-legged and the two.

From Salon • May 17, 2026

In “The Sheep Detectives,” the woolly ungulates themselves set about solving a heinous crime: gathering evidence, bringing it to light, and even drawing diagrams to point dimwitted humans in the right direction.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

Some are wrapped up in scarves and woolly hats, while others are sat in deckchairs, eating picnic lunches and playing music as they get ready to watch the chart-topping singer Raye in action.

From BBC • Feb. 20, 2026

At the end of a gravel road, a few children played outdoors, rosy-cheeked in the bitter cold, one wearing a Spiderman woolly hat.

From Barron's • Feb. 6, 2026

Hagrid’s face was entirely hidden by a woolly, snow-covered balaclava, but it couldn’t possibly be anyone else, as he filled most of the corridor in his moleskin overcoat.

From "Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets" by J. K. Rowling

Related Words

• flocculent