tweedy

[ twee-dee ]

adjective

, tweed·i·er, tweed·i·est.

1. made of or resembling tweed, as in texture, appearance, or the like.
2. wearing or favoring tweeds, especially as a mark of a casual, sporty, or intellectual way of life, as at college or in the country:

   a tweedy sportswoman.

3. accustomed to, preferring, or characterized by the wearing of tweeds, as in genteel country life or academia:

   a large and tweedy colony of civil servants and government officials.

tweedy

/ ˈtwiːdɪ /

adjective

1. of, made of, or resembling tweed
2. showing a fondness for a hearty outdoor life, usually associated with wearers of tweeds

Derived Forms

• ˈtweediness, noun

Other Words From

• tweedi·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of tweedy¹

First recorded in 1910–15; tweed + -y ¹

Example Sentences

But his tweedy and serenely skeptical Beckett double pointedly inquires, “Whose forgiveness do you need the most?”

From Los Angeles Times

Now I was on one of his tweedy shoulders.

From Literature

Star professors were either master thinkers introducing new rigor and glamour into a tweedy profession gone stale, or theory-addled tenured radicals taking a hatchet to the masterpieces of Western culture.

From New York Times

At the time, I seemed to be a youngish, tweedy English professor.

From Washington Post

With its mixture of tweedy understatement and strong feelings, it showed Queen Elizabeth having to adjust to changed times, filling in the unspoken gaps, in a way that humanised the Royal Family.

From BBC