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nubby

nubby

1 7.5
A cloth with small raised bumps that feels rough
  • adjective
  • /ˈnʌbi/
translation icon : texturizado
  • The sparse grouping of an antique sink and a cupboard between the sofa and chairs upholstered in nubby brown wool gave the place a homey feel.
  • nubby fabric
  • nubby sweater
  • nubby carpet

Examples

  • The nubby white sofa cushions prickled the backs of my legs because I was wearing shorts.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • The bedspreads were a pink, nubby material.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Of course it was, she could feel the nubby material of his sweater on the back of her neck.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Miguel pulls a nubby, plaid blanket from his pack.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • A large VIP lounge with mahogany tables and comfortable chairs upholstered in nubby blue fabric?

    Fiction book (1991)
  • I only took a little bit, since my true desire was to be at home, sitting on my nubby green sofa, deliciously on the verge of falling asleep.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • She chose a sleeveless periwinkle dress of rough, nubby silk and slipped it from the hanger.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • I leaned back onto the seat's nubby fabric and picked up the liner notes to Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits, which I had found on the floorboard of the date's car.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • The nubby carpet and high-backed vinyl chairs, along with the barren cleanliness, seem designed to discourage or deny suffering.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • The cozy blanket is made of a soft, nubby fabric that feels great against the skin.

Synonyms

knobby
vsnubby
2 5.8

Something that has small rounded bumps like a potato

is focused on small tufts and roughness rather than obvious rounded protuberances
nubbly
vsnubby
1 8.0

A cloth that has small raised bumps on its surface

emphasizes distinct small lumps or tufts rather than general unevenness
nubbled
vsnubby
9.1

A surface with small raised bumps like a rough sweater

is less uniformly covered and shows small lumps only in places
nobby
vsnubby
  • UK
8.4

Having small rounded lumps on the surface that you can feel

is about small tufted or textured roughness rather than prominent rounded bumps
slubbed
vsnubby
  • Specialized
9.0

Fabric with a rough, uneven surface made by thick, irregular threads

is about small lumps or tufts on the surface not thread irregularities
tweedy
vsnubby
6.9

Of cloth with a rough, thick surface like wool

is about small rough lumps or tufts not a woolly cloth feel

How Bumpy

bumpy
68 1.0
knobby
2 5.8
lumpy
39 2.2
nubby
1 7.5
textured
13 4.1
smooth
256 1.0

Surface Forms

nubby positive

Morphology

nubby = nub (transparent) = nub + y

The word 'nubby' is transparently derived from 'nub' with the addition of the suffix '-y', indicating a characteristic of having small lumps.

Etymology

Nubby comes from nub meaning 'a small lump' and the ending -y meaning 'full of'. So something nubby has many little bumps or tufts you can feel, like a rough wool blanket.