tighty-whities

plural noun

tighty-whit·​ies ˈtī-tē-ˈwī-tēz How to pronounce tighty-whities (audio)
variants or less commonly tighty-whiteys
slang
: snug white underpants for men : white briefs

Examples of tighty-whities in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web David is seen in the photo trying to fix the couple's TV, wearing only his tighty-whities with all his tattoos on full display. Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 15 Mar. 2024 My dying brother with his CZ 75, me in my tighty-whities with a baseball bat, and my mother in her bata fumbling with her glasses. Junot Díaz, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2023 Oh damn, Aidan looks good clothing-less, but…tighty-whities? Emma Specter, Vogue, 10 Aug. 2023 From serving drinks to passengers on a transatlantic flight to posing in his tighty-whities for a billboard, Lewis Capaldi’s reputation as music’s joker is hard-won. Mike Wass, Variety, 6 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tighty-whities.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1990, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tighty-whities was in 1990

Dictionary Entries Near tighty-whities

Cite this Entry

“Tighty-whities.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tighty-whities. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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