woolly

or wool·y

[ wool-ee ]

adjective

, wool·li·er, wool·li·est.

1. consisting of wool:

   a woolly fleece.

2. resembling wool in texture or appearance:

   woolly hair.

3. clothed or covered with wool or something resembling it:

   a woolly caterpillar.

4. Botany. covered with a pubescence of long, soft hairs resembling wool.
5. like the rough, vigorous atmosphere of the early West in America:

   wild and woolly.

6. fuzzy; unclear; disorganized:

   woolly thinking.

noun

, plural wool·lies.

1. Western U.S. a wool-bearing animal; sheep.
2. Usually woollies. a knitted undergarment of wool or other fiber.
3. any woolen garment, as a sweater.
4. Dialect. a dust ball.

woolly

/ ˈwʊlɪ /

adjective

1. consisting of, resembling, or having the nature of wool
2. covered or clothed in wool or something resembling it
3. lacking clarity or substance

   woolly thinking

4. botany covered with long soft whitish hairs

   woolly stems

5. recalling the rough and lawless period of the early West of America (esp in the phrase wild and woolly )

noun

1. often plural a garment, such as a sweater, made of wool or something similar
2. usually plural an informal word for sheep

Derived Forms

• ˈwoollily, adverb
• ˈwoolliness, noun

Other Words From

• woolli·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of woolly¹

First recorded in 1580–90; wool + -y ¹

Example Sentences

The proposed definition of grey belt is far too woolly at the moment – and Nicholas is right, it could make lots of lawyers and landowners rich.

From BBC

Steppe mammoths were an ancestor of the woolly mammoth, and this site is believed to date back to around 220,000 years ago.

From BBC

They have identified preclinical candidates in the genomes of contemporary humans, extinct Neanderthals and Denisovans, woolly mammoths, and hundreds of other organisms.

From Science Daily

An iconic species of megafauna, the woolly rhinoceros had thick skin and long fur, and it once roamed the mammoth step of northern and central Eurasia, before its extinction around 10,000 years ago.

From Science Daily

With coarse fur, a stocky body, and a pair of daggers sticking out of its face, the woolly rhinoceros proved a formidable beast for millions of years as it roamed northern Eurasia.

From Science Magazine

Related Words

• woolen