curly

play

adjective \ˈkər-lē\

Definition of curly

curlier

;

curliest

1 : tending to curl; also : having curls curly hair
2 : having the grain composed of fibers that undulate without crossing and that often form alternating light and dark lines curly maple

curliness

noun

See curly defined for English-language learners

See curly defined for kids

Examples of curly in a Sentence

She has curly hair and blue eyes.
The dog's tail is curly.

Recent Examples of curly from the Web

One is a heavy set Hispanic male 24 or 25 years old, 5-feet-six-inches tall, with short curly hair and a black bandana over his face.

— joe marusak, charlotteobserver, "Four sought in citywide armed robbery spree," 17 July 2017
The man, possibly Hispanic, is 22 to 30, has short, black curly hair that is closely cropped on the sides, has sideburns and a short beard or goatee, police said.

— chicago tribune staff, chicagotribune.com, "Girl, 13, calls police after attempted luring on North Side," 13 July 2017
Served with a side of just-greasy-enough curly fries, the inventive mashup works as a breakfast, lunch or dinner stand-in.

— kara lewis, kansascity.com, "These 5 Kansas City brunches go beyond scrambled eggs," 3 July 2017
A man who you would've sworn was Tommy Chong, if not for his impressive 'chops and curly hair, started talking to a local couple over a beer.

— corey mueller, chicagotribune.com, "Dead & Company fans bring a mellow mood to Wrigley," 1 July 2017
NASA research engineer and study co-author Janet Hurst says the team now wants to test the new, curly fibers in a ceramic medium.

— prachi patel, Scientific American, "Fuzzy Fibers Could Help Rockets Take the Heat," 26 June 2017
Junior Lincoln Henzman and Senior Jake Sparger opted for a pop of red while sophomore Devin Mann, known for his curly locks, decided to get corn rows.

— madeleine winer, The Courier-Journal, "Everyone is talking about Louisville baseball - except not for the reason you think," 21 June 2017
LaVar says Melo, with his curly blond hair and highlight-reel game, has the most star power.

— zach baron, GQ, "Between LaVar Ball and LaVar-ology," 21 June 2017
Brimming with curly noodles and seared pork belly, the velvety daikoku ramen has bookended many a downtown bar crawl.

— Los Angeles Magazine, "The 54 Best Things To Do in Downtown L.A. Right Now," 20 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'curly.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.