wintry

[ win-tree ]

adjective

, win·tri·er, win·tri·est.

1. of or characteristic of winter: wintry skies.

   wintry blasts;

   wintry skies.

2. resembling winter weather; having snow, frost, cold, storms, etc.:

   We had wintry weather well into May last year.

3. suggestive of winter, as in lack of warmth or cheer:

   a wintry manner.

   Synonyms: cheerless, bleak, cold

wintry

/ ˈwɪntərɪ; -trɪ; ˈwɪntrɪ /

adjective

1. (esp of weather) of or characteristic of winter
2. lacking cheer or warmth; bleak

Derived Forms

• ˈwintrily, adverb
• ˈwintriness, noun

Other Words From

• wintri·ly adverb
• wintri·ness noun
• un·wintry adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of wintry¹

First recorded before 900; Old English wintrig (not recorded in Middle English ); winter, -y ¹

Example Sentences

As colder Arctic air moves southward across the UK over the weekend, wintry showers will start across northern Scotland on Sunday afternoon.

From BBC

With some Arctic air heading our way from Sunday, some parts of the United Kingdom could see their first wintry weather.

From BBC

Mr Morgan said there would be a “stark contrast” between Wednesday’s warmth and this past weekend’s more wintry feel - which even saw some frost.

From BBC

It will be cold enough in the Scottish mountains for some wintry showers.

From BBC

The wintry Canadian location of “Fargo” was a key leg on that journey.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bleak
• chilly
• desolate
• freezing
• frigid
• frosty
• frozen
• icy