curly

Examples

• All

• Roberto was ten months old, with curly black hair and expressive eyes.

  Academic text (2005)

• My hair is very curly and I kind of love it.

• There was a pretty girl with dark curly hair at his side.

  Fiction book (1991)

• Is your hair naturally curly?

  Tiny Cinema (2022)

• I could picture her barefoot, her hair curly like Hallie's and coming loose from its knot.

  Fiction book (1991)

• The girls do aerobics like religion and have big, curly hair, stiff with mousse.

  Fiction book (1992)

• Bernadette's hair, short and curly, entirely white now, flies wildly around her head.

  Fiction book (1990)

• Wisps of her barely restrained curly black and white hair framed her pale white face.

  Fiction book (1991)

• Her natural curls gave her hair a beautiful, curly texture that everyone admired.

• He preferred to leave his hair curly instead of straightening it for special occasions.

Synonyms

W

wavy

vscurly

16 1.3

Having soft, regular curves like small waves, not straight

includes both waves and tighter curl shapes, not only smooth waves

F

frizzy

vscurly

14 3.8

Hair with many small tight curls that is hard to control

covers curl or wave shape without implying manageability issues

C

curly-haired

vscurly

5 2.7

Hair that forms small round shapes or waves

is the general term for this curl or wave pattern

K

kinky

vscurly

4 6.8

Having many small tight curls that make hair look thick

is broader, covering loose and tight curl sizes alike

C

crisp

vscurly

3 6.5

Having many small, tight curls

is wider in meaning, also covering softer or larger curls

P

permed

vscurly

1 4.2

Hair treated with chemicals to make long-lasting curls or waves

covers natural or treated curls without implying chemical treatment

C

curled

vscurly

1.4

Hair that forms many small round loops or waves

describes the same curl shape without implying how it was made

C

curling

vscurly

1.0

Having hair that forms round loops

refers to the finished curl or wave rather than the action

M

marcelled

vscurly

• Archaic

9.3

Hair shaped into deep even waves using a hot curling iron

applies broadly to any curl or wave not limited to styled waves

C

curly-coated

vscurly

3.5

An animal with fur or hair that is curly

focuses on human hair curls and waves rather than animal coats

W

woolly-haired

vscurly

5.1

Having thick, curly or matted hair like wool

refers to ordinary human curl or wave patterns, not woolly texture

Antonyms

S

straight

442 1.0

In a direct line without curves or bends

Compounds

C

curly-haired

5 2.7

Hair that forms small round shapes or waves

C

curly tail

1 2.8

A tail that curves into a small spiral

C

curly endive

1 6.0

A salad green with crisp curly leaves and a slight bitter taste

C

curly clematis

• US

8.9

A climbing plant with bluish-purple flowers

C

curly grass

• US

9.9

A small fern with thin curly leaves that grow in tight groups

C

curly grass fern

• US

9.9

A rare small fern with thin curled leaves that grows in thick clumps on the ground

C

curly pondweed

• UK

9.5

A water plant with wavy leaves that grows in lakes and ponds

C

curly-coated retriever

5.8

A large strong dog with a tight curly coat that brings back birds and other animals from land or water

C

curly-heads

• US

9.9

A bushy climbing plant with curly leaves that grows in the eastern United States

C

curly-leaved

3.7

Having leaves that are bent or wavy instead of flat

How Curly

kinky

4 6.8

curly

95 1.0

wavy

16 1.3

straight

442 1.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology