ashy

adjective

ˈa-shē 

ashier; ashiest

1

: covered with or containing ashes

ashy smoke

ashy residue

ashy soil

the ashy remains of the burned building

… the forest opened up into a giant burn scar, with the blackened skeletons of trees stretching down an ashy hillside.

—Morgan McFall-Johnsen

2

a

: suggestive of or resembling ashes (as in color)

ashy grays

an ashy smell/taste

She wore her hair down in long ashy blonde waves that reached her hips.

—Alyssa K. Davis

especially : very pale (as from fright or illness) : ashen

Symptoms that clinicians should advise their patients to look out for include slowed breathing and skin turning ashy or blue.

—Maya Yang

b

African American English : of or relating to the grayish or whitish appearance of very dry skin

—used especially to describe this condition in people with a skin pigmentation that is darker than what is typically considered white (see white entry 1 sense 2a)

Ashy skin is caused by a lack of moisture, which leaves your skin dehydrated. It can appear on essentially any part of your skin. It's also common for the skin on your arms, legs, and face to become dehydrated and ashy.

—Eleesha Lockett

Vaseline has long been a staple in Black medicine cabinets, healing everything from chapped lips to ashy elbows.

—Angela Johnson

Excessively cleaning my hands could result in dry, cracked skin, but I've been able to prevent them from becoming chapped and ashy with my arsenal of moisturizing hand creams and balms.

—Jennifer Ford

Synonyms of ashy

• pallid
• pale
• ashen
• paled

Examples of ashy in a Sentence

paramedics knew she was in shock because she was ashy and shaking

Recent Examples on the Web

Dirt and weeds and a cluster of ashy old firepits surrounded by ottoman-sized rocks and peeling Adirondack chairs. —Michael Nied, PEOPLE, 26 Nov. 2025

These cat-eye torties by @_citre are like staring into a roaring fire, with bright orange ember tones and ashy shades scattered across the nail. —Jacqueline Kilikita, Refinery29, 24 Nov. 2025

That thoughtfulness is why the foundation blends seamlessly without ever leaving behind an ashy cast, a struggle many of us know all too well. —Essence, 7 Oct. 2025

When the hydrants ran dry, the loss of pressure caused ashy water to backflow into the lines. —Dana Goodyear, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for ashy

• flashy
• trashy

Kids Definition

ashy

adjective

ˈash-ē 

ashier; ashiest

1

: of, relating to, or resembling ashes

2

: ashen sense 2