Etymology
Origin of powdery
First recorded in 1400–50, powdery is from the late Middle English word powdry. See powder 1, -y 1
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.
Other signs are subtle: ground covered with powdery insulation from the lines.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 29, 2025
“I had a couple of dangerous places where the trail became a slope full of powdery snow, and it was very easy to slip off,” Novitskiy wrote on Facebook.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 27, 2025
When tested on wheat, these compounds helped protect against fungal infections such as powdery mildew.
From Science Daily • Oct. 12, 2025
But many have found hay that is crisp and dry, even powdery.
From BBC • Jul. 15, 2025
Gently, I settled the first coneflower in the earth and packed the powdery dirt in around the roots.
From "Red Kayak" by Priscilla Cummings
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.
