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Synonyms

frizz

1 American  
[friz] / frɪz /
Or friz

verb (used with or without object)

  1. to form into small, crisp curls or little tufts.

noun

  1. the state of being frizzed.

  2. something frizzed; frizzed hair.

frizz 2 American  
[friz] / frɪz /

verb (used with or without object)

  1. frizzle.

frizz British  
/ frɪz /

verb

  1. (of the hair, nap, etc) to form or cause (the hair, etc) to form tight wiry curls or crisp tufts

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. hair that has been frizzed

  2. the state of being frizzed

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • frizzer noun

Etymology

Origin of frizz

First recorded in 1650–60; back formation from frizzle 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.

We found the two apes, with their telltale ginger frizz and bulbous bellies, grazing in the canopy.

From National Geographic • Jan. 23, 2024

“I don’t want to frizz it out,” Holcomb said.

From Washington Times • Aug. 5, 2021

It wants to frizz up even though my hair is straight.

From New York Times • Feb. 2, 2021

When I was complaining about my summer hair frizz, a hair-colorist friend of mine asked me if I had silk pillows, and then literally scoffed when I said no.

From Slate • Aug. 22, 2018

There’s no mistaking that wild frizz of hair, tied back with a bright beaded keffiyeh.

From "Without Refuge" by Jane Mitchell

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.