rainy

[ rey-nee ]

adjective

, rain·i·er, rain·i·est.

1. characterized by rain:

   rainy weather; a rainy region.

2. wet with rain:

   rainy streets.

3. bringing rain:

   rainy clouds.

rainy

/ ˈreɪnɪ /

adjective

1. characterized by a large rainfall

   a rainy climate

2. wet or showery; bearing rain

Derived Forms

• ˈrainily, adverb
• ˈraininess, noun

Other Words From

• raini·ly adverb
• raini·ness noun
• un·rainy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of rainy¹

before 1000; Middle English reyny, Old English rēnig. See rain, -y ¹

Example Sentences

On a rainy November night Lindsay Rimer walked the short route from her home to a local shop to buy breakfast cereal.

From BBC

Nearly 1,000 miles northwest, green and yellow Green Bay Packers flags punctured the otherwise dreary, rainy gray skies, as the Wisconsin faithful replaced their trademark cheesehead hats with ponchos and tried to stay dry under pop-up tents before their contest with the Detroit Lions.

From Los Angeles Times

It was only taken out of idle curiosity one rainy winter’s day – but the shocking result of a DNA test was to force two women and their families to reassess everything they knew about themselves.

From BBC

“Toy Story of Terror” from 2013, originally produced at the corporate nexus of Disney, Pixar and ABC, offers a delightful meta take on horror tropes — rainy night, roadside motel, characters imprudently wandering off.

From Los Angeles Times

In his experience, rapid changes between sunny and rainy weather make it necessary to administer antibiotics for respiratory and diarrhoeal diseases.

From BBC

Related Words

• damp
• moist
• stormy
• wet