downy
- adjective
- /ˈdaʊni/
- Soft, downy, gray tufts poke up through the black and tan pelt.
- downy hair
- downy feather
- downy head
What only yields fragrant blades, lunatic seeds and downy shrouds.
- What only yields fragrant blades, lunatic seeds and downy shrouds.
- Snow floats on the downy nape, wings bobbing gently in the ebbing water.
Examples
-
Closing her eyes, she laid her cheek against the downy little head.
Fiction book (1991) -
The three men saw her again, unexpected and fleeting, as they had the first time: gold on her downy earlobes.
Fiction book (1994) -
Once the little cap was removed, she reached in to carefully stroke his downy black hair.
Fiction book (1990) -
"Your fur looks natural and downy soft, Mr. Wolf," said the oldest kid.
Fiction book (1997) -
My face was level with his now, so close I could see the downy fuzz along the line of his jaw.
Fiction book (1993) -
Posy makes little hills of the downy hair and blows on them.
Fiction book (1991) -
Chicks in late September are downy, not waterproof, and are unable to survive in the sea for any period of time.
Academic text (2008) -
Benoit touched the soft rims of Lettie's ears and the downy hair on her face.
Fiction book (1990) -
The older troll's downy white hair contrasted sharply with her gray skin in the moonlight.
Fiction book (2002) -
Benoit touched the soft rims of Lettie's ears and the downy hair on her face.
Synonyms
Soft and light, like fur or feathers
Covered with soft light hairs like kitten fur
Soft and covered with thick hair like a sheep
Having a light soft texture like feathers
Soft and airy with small air pockets that make it not heavy
Having a soft, full, and fluffy feel like a cushion
Having soft feathers like a bird's crest
Covered with fine white hairs, usually on plants or animals
Soft like the feathers that keep a bird warm
A surface with fine soft hairs that look like silk
A plant surface that has fine, short, soft hairs
Covered with soft fine hairs like down
Soft and light with a fluffy texture like down
An animal or body part with hair that feels soft when you touch it
Soft and fluffy like fur used for warm clothes
Antonyms
Compounds
- Specialized
A grass with soft hairy leaves that spreads quickly and is often a weed
- Specialized
A wild grass with soft hairy leaves that grows each year in the Mediterranean region
- Specialized
A small garden plant with round yellow berries inside a papery husk
A shrub native to California that grows upright with open branches and soft, hairy young twigs
- US
A poplar tree from North America with large soft rounded leaves with wavy edges and brown bark
A small North American bird with black and white feathers that pecks trees for insects
A small wild flower that has soft hairy leaves and yellow petals with purple veins
How Soft
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Downy comes from the old word down, which means 'soft bird feathers'. Think of a down pillow or a down jacket — so something 'downy' is soft and covered with fine, fluffy hairs or feathers.