hairy
adjectivenouncommon in dialogue
- United Kingdom//ˈhɛə.ɹi//
- United States//ˈhɛɹ.i//
- Australia//ˈheːɹi//
- New Zealand//ˈheəɹi//
- //ˈhiəɹi//
Having a lot of body hair.
adjective
- 1
Having a lot of body hair.
a hairy man
- 2
Having a lot of fur.
Near-synonyms: long-haired, furry, fluffy
hairy mammoth
- 3
Having hair growing from it.
hairy chest; hairy back
- 4
Long-haired.
yelling about dirty, hairy hippies
- 5
Seeming as if hair-covered or as if consisting of hair.
Near-synonym: hairlike
hairy cell leukemia
hairy moss
- 6
informalDifficult, complex, intricate, or intimidating.
It’s a hairy problem, and will probably take several weeks to sort out.
- 7
informalCausing anxiety or fright; terrifying, scary.
Some surfers prefer the hairy thrill of a big wave.
A couple people see her, watch her slide on by, don't get all hairy about it.
Etymology
From Middle English hery, heeri, hary, equivalent to hair + -y. Compare Saterland Frisian hierich (“hairy”), West Frisian hierrich (“hairy”), Dutch harig (“hairy”), German Low German harig (“hairy”), German haarig (“hairy”), Swedish hårig (“hairy”), Icelandic hárugur (“hairy”). Compare also Old English hǣriht (“hairy”) and ġehǣre (“hairy”). The sense "terrifying, scary" possibly results from a blend of hair-raising and scary.
noun
- 1
rareA haircut (the act of cutting of hair).
Had the cutest elderly man come for a hairy today, told me he had to put his glasses on for the photos bc thy ^([sic]) made him look better
Etymology
From haircut + -y.
Forms
- plural
- hairies
- comparative
- hairier
- superlative
- hairiest