wormy

[wur-mee]

adjective

wormier, wormiest 

1. containing a worm or worms; contaminated with worms.

2. damaged or bored into by worms; worm-eaten.

3. wormlike; groveling; low.

wormy

/ ˈwɜːmɪ /

adjective

1. worm-infested or worm-eaten

2. resembling a worm in appearance, ways, or condition

3. (of wood) having irregular small tunnels bored into it and tracked over its surface, made either by worms or artificially

4. low or grovelling

Other Word Forms

• worminess noun
• unworminess noun
• unwormy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of wormy¹

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; worm, -y ¹

Example Sentences

But its wormy shape gives it the ability to swim right into the gills of fish, where it drinks its fill of blood.

Read more on Salon

Back in the lab, they filmed each family during the two months from hatching until the wormy amphibians became independent.

Read more on New York Times

Without it, drug resistance will spread undetected before control programs can adapt, leading to a wormier world for everyone.

Read more on Scientific American

His last three books have been minor, fantastical stories, wormy with weird wit.

Read more on Washington Post

In its grimmer moments, the play hints at something wormy at the heart of this American pastoral.

Read more on New York Times

Related Words

• ravaged