tighty-whities

[ tahy-tee-hwahy-teez, wahy-teez ]

plural noun

, Slang.

1. men’s white, close-fitting underpants or briefs.

Word History and Origins

Origin of tighty-whities¹

First recorded in 1990–95; tight ( def ) + -y ²( def ) + whit(e) ( def ) + -y ²( def ) + -s ³( def )

Example Sentences

“Trump chased her around his hotel room in his ‘tighty-whities,’ ” wrote Evans.

From Slate

It’s a blizzard of surprise reveals, doors ripping off their hinges, wrecking balls turned disco balls, industrial machinery and household conveniences, bloody brides and workers in tighty-whities.

From Washington Post

He wears designer suits but his underwear, cheap Russian tighty-whities, is poignant.

From New York Times

The key is to succumb, like Cruise’s high-flying Maverick himself, to a world of unchecked instinct and pure sensation, to savor the movie’s symphony of screaming jets and booming Giorgio Moroder, not to mention all those lovingly photographed torsos and tighty-whities.

From Los Angeles Times

His older brother, Jeffrey, remembered Tata, as his family called him, stripping down to his tighty-whities as a child to do Latin dances.

From New York Times