hairy

[ hair-ee ]

adjective

, hair·i·er, hair·i·est.

1. covered with hair; having much hair.

   Synonyms: shaggy, woolly, furry

2. consisting of or resembling hair:

   moss of a hairy texture.

3. Informal.
   1. causing anxiety or fright:

      a hairy trip through the rapids.

   2. full of hardship or difficulty:

      a hairy exam; a hairy illness.

hairy

/ ˈhɛərɪ /

adjective

1. having or covered with hair
2. slang.
   1. difficult or problematic
   2. scaring, dangerous, or exciting

Derived Forms

• ˈhairiness, noun

Other Words From

• hairi·ness noun
• un·hairi·ness noun
• un·hairy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hairy¹

First recorded in 1250–1300, hairy is from the Middle English word heeri. See hair, -y ¹

Example Sentences

Among the surprises for the author while researching Ephron’s work: Her screenplay for the 1989 mobster comedy “Cookie,” directed by another pioneering female director, Susan Seidelman, and her producing credit on the cult teen movie “All I Wanna Do,” also known as “Strike!” or “The Hairy Bird.”

From Los Angeles Times

Or, Wakim added that Christian Arabs are just, “Hairy, sweaty, passionate guys … a Greek you’re kinda afraid of.”

From Los Angeles Times

One figure recalls, "it was pretty hairy at the time, a lot of Europeans didn’t want to do it. Trump personally didn’t want to do it but was persuaded to do so".

From BBC

Nothing gets too hairy; the silliness of the situation dominates the tone.

From Los Angeles Times

TV chef Si King said the past few months have been a "struggle" following the death of his Hairy Bikers co-star Dave Myers.

From BBC

Related Words

• furry
• fuzzy
• shaggy
• unshaven
• woolly