moldier; moldiest
1
: of, resembling, or covered with mold
2
a
: being old and moldering : crumbling
b
: antiquated, fusty
moldy tradition
moldiness noun

Examples of moldy in a Sentence

Her books became moldy after being left in a damp basement. The wine had a slightly moldy aroma.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But when in doubt, throw moldy cheese out. Abby Norman, Verywell Health, 29 Sep. 2025 That brown bottle in your medicine cabinet can clean moldy bathrooms and kitchens. Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 27 Sep. 2025 Dilute bleach with water in a spray bottle and use it to saturate the moldy spots along the caulking. Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Sep. 2025 Nearly 100 years ago, in 1928, Scottish physician Alexander Fleming famously noticed that, in a moldy Petri dish, Penicillium notatum had destroyed the bacteria around it (even if penicillin would still be more than a decade away from development). New Atlas, 20 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for moldy

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of moldy was in the 14th century

Cite this Entry

“Moldy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/moldy. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

moldy

adjective
moldier; moldiest
: resembling, containing, or covered with mold
moldiness noun

Medical Definition

moldy

adjective
variants or chiefly British mouldy
moldier or chiefly British mouldier; mouldiest
: covered with a mold-producing fungus
moldy bread

More from Merriam-Webster on moldy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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