adjective
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of, relating to, or containing starch
starchy foods
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extremely formal, stiff, or conventional
a starchy manner
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stiffened with starch
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of starchy
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Nenna’s starchy, uncompromising husband has left her and taken a room in faraway North London.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
Because they are dense and starchy, eating large amounts can slow the rate at which the stomach empties, a condition known as gastroparesis, or in rare situations, cause a complete blockage.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 1, 2026
Andrew says the "worst offenders" include cereal, scrambled eggs, or starchy food with protein-heavy residues.
From BBC ● Feb. 18, 2026
Sondergard demonstrated a sense of grandeur, sometimes shattering, other times starchy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2025
The bands’ food staple is the sago palm tree, whose core yields a starchy pith when the palm reaches maturity.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Firms also want to be able to tailor crops more precisely: producing starchier potatoes for crisp-makers, or protein-rich peas that do not taste like peas for use as a meat substitute.
From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2023
It’s even possible to make tostones de guineo, the twice-fried snack, and bolitas, a dumpling for soup — both of these are usually made with the starchier green plantain.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 20, 2021
But the main differences between the two are that plantains are starchier than bananas, not as easily peeled and usually not eaten raw.
From New York Times ● Aug. 6, 2021
Along with Momofuku, these new eateries established a contemporary fusion based on flavor and sass—one that was decidedly greasier and starchier than its white-linen ancestor.
From Slate ● Apr. 12, 2012
The less water, the starchier the water — and the starchier the water, the better your still-dripping pasta will taste once it meets up with your sauce.
From Time ● Jun. 29, 2010
If enough top talent is willing to trade the prestige of Goldman for the flexibility of Citigroup, even the starchiest banks may have to relax a bit.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 11, 2021
He appears to be greeted as a hero, or at least a celebrity, passing "crowded porches" and children "washed and dressed in their best and starchiest clothes, hairs bursting with ribbons."
From US News ● Nov. 6, 2014
He appears to be greeted as a hero, or at least a celebrity, passing “crowded porches” and children “washed and dressed in their best and starchiest clothes, hairs bursting with ribbons.”
From Washington Times ● Nov. 6, 2014
Some conceal this impulse better than others, but not even the starchiest Brooks character can long resist the lure of a cane, a top hat and an up-tempo riff.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2014
The cleanest and starchiest of curtains, the most dazzling and whitest of tidies and chair-covers, bespoke the adjacent laundry; indeed, the whole cottage seemed to exhale the odors of lavender soap and freshly ironed linen.
From A Protegee of Jack Hamlin's and Other Stories by Harte, Bret
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
