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rainy

rainy

122 1.0
Having a lot of rain
  • adjective
  • /ˈreɪni/
translation icon : lluvioso
  • I love curling up with a book on a chilly, rainy afternoon.
  • the rainy season
  • a rainy day
  • rainy weather

Slightly chilly on the boat this morning and rainy, wet.

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Examples

  • It's been a very rainy week here in BC.

  • Hey, when does the rainy season start?

  • And so it's been really rainy outside and cold.

  • Definitely a great way to spend a rainy, rainy, rainy day.

  • And of course, it's a rainy night, but here it is.

  • Still a little rainy but the wind has died down.

  • Although it's really rainy, the lighting is incredible for you guys.

  • And what are we going to do on this rainy, cold, blustery Sunday?

  • We've just found it to be quite rainy here for most of the summer.

  • We arrived in Yosemite after dark on a rainy night with little visibility.

    Academic text (1994)

Synonyms

stormy
vsrainy
33 1.0

Strong winds and heavy rain that make travel difficult

is calmer, involving regular, less violent and less intense precipitation
drizzly
vsrainy
5 1.5

Light, steady rain that makes the ground slightly wet

is stronger, involving more frequent and heavier precipitation
wet
vsrainy
1 1.0

A place or thing covered with liquid

refers to weather that brings substantial precipitation rather than mere surface wetness
drizzling
vsrainy
1.2

Raining very lightly in small misty drops

is heavier and brings more frequent and abundant precipitation
showery
vsrainy
  • UK
2.8

Weather with many short periods of rain

is steadier, producing longer and more continuous precipitation

Antonyms

dry
791 1.0

Not wet or without any liquid

226 1.0

Bright with sunlight or cheerful and pleasant like sunshine

Idioms

for a rainy day
  • Informal
15 3.4

People save money to use later if they have a problem

3 2.9

Put money aside to use if something unexpected happens

Compounds

rainy day
  • Informal
29 1.6

Money saved to use if you have problems later

rainy season
  • Australian
13 1.5

The time of year when most rain falls in tropical regions

How Rainy

torrential
18 5.6
stormy
33 1.0
rainy
122 1.0
showery
  • UK
2.8
drizzly
5 1.5

Surface Forms

rainy positive
rainier comparative
rainiest superlative

Morphology

rainy = rain (transparent) = rain + y

Standard adjectival formation: '-y' added to the noun 'rain' yields an adjective meaning 'characterized by rain', which is straightforward for learners.

Etymology

Rainy comes from the simple word rain plus the ending -y, which means 'full of' or 'having'. So rainy means 'having rain' or 'marked by rain', just like sunny means 'full of sun'.