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

plural

woollies

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

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

Mr. Ellis’s music can generally be described as woolly folk-rock mixed with a few jazzy inflections.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 2, 2025

Researchers from Stockholm University have -- for the first time ever -- managed to successfully isolate and sequence RNA molecules from Ice Age woolly mammoths.

From Science Daily • Nov. 15, 2025

When his county team-mates were conducting their pre-season media duties in March, Stokes was jogging between cones in a woolly hat and leggings.

From BBC • Jul. 24, 2025

He sat upright and waved a woolly arm toward Great Avren.

From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander

Related Words

• flocculent