hairy

1 covered with or as if with hair <a hairy spider> Synonyms bristly, brushy, cottony, fleecy, furred, furry, hirsute, rough, shaggy, silky, unshorn, woolly (also wooly) Related Words bearded, bewhiskered, mustachioed (also moustachioed), whiskered; stubbled, stubbly; downy, fluffy, fuzzy, linty, nappy Near Antonyms beardless, shaved, shaven Antonyms bald, furless, glabrous, hairless, shorn, smooth

2 made of or resembling hair <found enough hairy clumps around the house to make another cat> <a hairy mass of fiberglass insulation> Synonyms furry, fuzzy, rough, shaggy, woolly (also wooly) Related Words downy, fluffy, nappy, puffy; hairlike

3 requiring exceptional skill or caution in performance or handling <landing on that airstrip is always a hairy proposition> Synonyms catchy, delicate, difficult, dodgy [chiefly British], tricky, knotty, nasty, prickly, problematic (also problematical), sensitive, spiny, sticky, thorny, ticklish, touchy, tough, tricksyRelated Words abstract, abstruse, complex, complicated, hard, intricate, involved, recondite, serious; problem, scabrous, stubborn, troublesome, troublous, vexatious, vexing, worrisome; burdensome, demanding, discommoding, exacting, exhausting, importunate, inconvenient, onerous, oppressive, painful, stressfulNear Antonyms easy, effortless, manageable, painless, simple, straightforward, uncomplicated, undemanding, unproblematic

4 marked by or causing agitation or uncomfortable feelings <the snowstorm made for a hairy commute back home that evening> Synonyms agitating, anxious, creepy, disquieting, distressful, distressing, disturbing, fraught, nervous, nail-biting, nerve-racking (or nerve-wracking), restless, tense, uneasy, unnerving, unsettling, worrisomeRelated Words bothersome, troublesome; foreboding, misgiving; discouraging, disheartening, strained; restive, restless, unrestful; awkward, embarrassingNear Antonyms restful; pacificAntonyms calming, comfortable, easy, peaceful, quiet, quieting, tranquil