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hairy

adjective

ˈher-ē How to pronounce hairy (audio)
Definition of hairynext
1
as in shaggy
covered with or as if with hair a hairy spider

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fuzzy
made of or resembling hair found enough hairy clumps around the house to make another cat a hairy mass of fiberglass insulation

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in difficult
requiring exceptional skill or caution in performance or handling landing on that airstrip is always a hairy proposition

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in disturbing
marked by or causing agitation or uncomfortable feelings the snowstorm made for a hairy commute back home that evening

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of hairy People with very hairy chests might need enough hair shaved off to allow the pad to stick. — Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026 The industry is obsessed with tracking who has the biggest model to solve the hairiest problems. — Don Schuerman, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026 The southern hairy-nosed wombat is the smallest of three species of wombats, all found in Australia, typically weighing between 45 and 65 pounds. — Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 16 Aug. 2026 These vines will also happily wind their way around tree trunks and shrubs and fix themselves in place with small rootlets that take on a hairy appearance as poison ivy plants mature. — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hairy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hairy
  1. shaggy
  2. fuzzy
  3. difficult
  4. disturbing
  5. silky
  6. rough
  7. sensitive
  8. uneasy
Adjective
  • Jesse Olstead, a twenty-nine-year-old with shaggy brown hair, kept stopping by the box to check the jump list.
    — M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
  • There’s little tension or drive, just shaggy scenes about paranoia, trust and hope.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of shaggy
Adjective
  • Even on a good day, Michigan is not a program that inspires many warm and fuzzy feelings among casual fans of college football.
    — Austin Meek, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Film Festival world premiere offering warm-but-never-fuzzy retro visions of stunts and cross-border tension that resonate in the present moment.
    — Jennie Punter, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of fuzzy
Adjective
  • Being undefeated after a trio of difficult opening matches can only be seen as a positive, even if Newcastle’s obvious shortcomings require addressing if that run is to be prolonged.
    — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Engineers need flight data on propulsion, aerodynamics, thermal management, guidance and other subsystems under conditions that are difficult to reproduce on the ground.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of difficult
Adjective
  • More than a month after Perez Hilton appeared in a disturbing livestream appearing to engage in acts of self-harm at this Miami-area home, his family is addressing the rumor mill.
    — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 16 Sep. 2026
  • As tensions rise and boundaries begin to blur, their grandmother’s frail presence takes on an increasingly disturbing quality, turning a once-idyllic summer into a haunting passage into adulthood.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of disturbing
Adjective
  • The buttery pan sauce takes a page from Chris Morocco’s Steak for One, gaining its silky texture from a bottle of oyster sauce.
    — Shilpa Uskokovic, Bon Appetit Magazine, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Rodriguez is an eye-catching centre-forward who combines his 6ft 4in (193cm) frame with a silky first touch.
    — Thom Harris, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of silky
Adjective
  • In 2024, Swift joined the Bears as a free agent whose production didn’t match the contract in a rough year overall for the offense.
    — Kevin Fishbain, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • After a rough preseason that included missing a block that got Dart crushed and fumbling, Tracy could next lose his spot on the gameday active roster — if not his job entirely — with Najee Harris waiting to step in.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of rough
Adjective
  • Reputation work can involve sensitive information about executives, companies and disputes.
    — Scott Keever, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Aestura’s Atobarrier365 Cream is a K-beauty go-to, lauded by shoppers with dry-slash-sensitive skin for its moisturizing and barrier-boosting perks.
    — Sophie Dunne, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of sensitive
Adjective
  • Sam Altman is leading OpenAI through perhaps the most consequential—and uneasy—moment in artificial intelligence yet.
    — Fortune Editors, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2026
  • In a desperate race against time, Rosalind and Sean are forced into an uneasy alliance, fighting to save her husband and expose a global trafficking empire that eliminates anyone who tries to stop it.
    — Alex Ritman, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of uneasy

Browse Nearby Words

hair-trigger
hairy
hairy-chested
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Cite this Entry

“Hairy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hairy. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

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