woolly

1 of 2

adjective

wool·​ly ˈwu̇-lē How to pronounce woolly (audio)
variants or less commonly wooly
woollier; woolliest
1
a
: resembling wool
b
: of, relating to, or bearing wool
2
a
: lacking in clearness or sharpness of outline
a woolly TV picture
b
: marked by mental confusion
woolly thinking
3
: marked by boisterous roughness or lack of order or restraint
where the West is still woollyPaul Schubert
used especially in the phrase wild and woolly
woollily adverb
woolliness noun

woolly

2 of 2

noun

wool·​ly ˈwu̇-lē How to pronounce woolly (audio)
variants or less commonly wooly or woolie
plural woollies also woolies
1
: a garment made from wool
especially : underclothing of knitted wool
usually used in plural
2
Western US and Australia : sheep

Examples of woolly in a Sentence

Adjective the dog's woolly coat will require a lot of grooming still had a water bed and a woolly coverlet on top of it Noun Get out your winter woollies.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
Some believe the 13 segments or bands of the woolly worm represent the 13 weeks of winter. Kirby Adams, The Courier-Journal, 1 Nov. 2024 Neandertal numbers also took a hit as their larger prey—woolly mammoths, bison and woolly rhinoceros—dwindled during the Ice Ages. Daniel Vergano, Scientific American, 11 Oct. 2024
Noun
In a 1994 Foreign Affairs article, the economist Paul Krugman skewered some of the woolly thinking on national competitiveness of the type favored at Davos and other jamborees of the global elite. Nicholas Shaxson, Foreign Affairs, 7 July 2021 Some specific morphological and ecological features of the fossil woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis Blumenbach 1799) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Conor Feehly, Discover Magazine, 26 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for woolly 

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

circa 1865, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of woolly was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near woolly

Cite this Entry

“Woolly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/woolly. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

woolly

1 of 2 adjective
wool·​ly
variants also wooly
woollier; woolliest
1
a
: of, relating to, or bearing wool
woolly animals
b
: resembling wool
2
: marked by mental confusion
woolly thinking
3
: marked by roughness or disorder
the wild and woolly West
woolliness noun

woolly

2 of 2 noun
wool·​ly
variants also wooly or woolie
ˈwu̇l-ē
plural woollies
: a woolen garment
especially : underclothing of knitted wool
usually used in plural

More from Merriam-Webster on woolly

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!