wooly

[ woo l-ee ]

/ ˈwʊl i /

adjective, wool·i·er, wool·i·est, noun, plural wool·ies.

Nearby words

woolskin, woolsorters' disease, woolwich, woolworth, woolworth, frank winfield, wooly, woomera, woomerang, woonsocket, woop woop, woops

Related formswool·i·ness, noun

Definition for wooly (2 of 2)

woolly

or wool·y

[ woo l-ee ]

/ ˈwʊl i /

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.

Origin of woolly

First recorded in 1580–90; wool + -y¹

Related formswool·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 wooly

I was taken into one by Maurice, a gnarled old Vietnam vet in a wooly hat.
Here’s a Reform Even the Koch Brothers and George Soros Can Agree On|Tina Brown|November 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Designer Phoebe Philo presented a cool collection of wooly outerwear and unexpected proportions.
Céline Gets Cozy for Fall|Liza Foreman|March 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I'le make him think he's got straddle his wooly hoss, and an army of mermades was after him with red hot pitchforks.
Punchinello, Vol. 1, No. 22, August 27, 1870|Various
Her shoulders ached—her head seemed a stuffy thing of wood and wooly lint.
The Bishop of Cottontown|John Trotwood Moore

Dat's de proposition; an', Mose, yo' got to keep yo' wooly head mighty cool an' calc'lating.
The Kentucky Ranger|Edward T. Curnick
Totty ducked her wooly head by way of reply, as she ran off, and presently Jupiter made his appearance in evident trouble.
Sharing Her Crime|May Agnes Fleming
They stood about gracefully to be admired, with their wooly hair fluffed out at right angles to their head, for the occasion.
Six Women|Victoria Cross

British Dictionary definitions for wooly

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 Formswoollily, 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

Word Origin and History for wooly

wooly

adj.

also woolly, 1570s, "resembling or made of wool," from wool + -y (2). Meaning "barbarous, rude" is recorded 1891, from wild and wooly (1884) applied to the U.S. western frontier, perhaps in reference to range steers or to unkempt cowboys.

wooly

adjective, wool·i·er, wool·i·est, noun, plural wool·ies.

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Nearby words

Definition for wooly (2 of 2)

woolly

or wool·y

adjective, wool·li·er, wool·li·est.

noun, plural wool·lies.

Origin of woolly

Regional variation note

Examples from the Web for wooly

British Dictionary definitions for wooly

woolly

sometimes US wooly

adjective woollier or woolliest or sometimes US woolier or wooliest

noun plural woollies or sometimes US woolies

Word Origin and History for wooly

wooly