EssenceJustin Hyde
Did you know?
"And her faire deawy eies with kisses deare Shee ofte did bathe" (Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene). "I would these dewy teares were from the ground" (William Shakespeare, Richard III). "Till dewie sleep Oppress'd them" (John Milton, Paradise Lost). "Strengthen me, enlighten me … Thou dewy dawn of memory" (Alfred Tennyson, "Ode to Memory"). Such lines exemplify how the greats have poetically extended the characteristics of dewy grass to misty or crying eyes, as well as to things, like sleep, that affect people gently like forming dew, or to things, like memory, that gradually vanish like a morning's dew. In recent times, the adjective has often been used to describe the luminous complexions of models and starlets—an extension of the "suggestive of dew" meaning. It was not until the 20th century that people began to connect newly formed, undisturbed dew with freshness or purity and, in turn, with innocence and unsophistication.
Synonyms of dewy
Examples of dewy in a Sentence
Sophie Wirt, InStyle, 11 Mar. 2026
Kravitz carried over a few timeless staples from the winter, like her long black coat—the perfect topper for dewy mornings and chilly evenings.
—Ana Serrano, Glamour, 10 Mar. 2026
It’s packed with green tea extract and Vitamin E to help protect against free radical damage, while glycerin helps to lock in moisture and promote bouncy, dewy skin.
—Sophie Dodd, Travel + Leisure, 10 Mar. 2026
On a dewy spring morning, wake up your family with this delightful breakfast casserole.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dewy
Cite this Entry
“Dewy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dewy. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
Copy Citation
