hairy

adjective \ ˈher-ē \

Updated on: 22 Apr 2018

Definition of hairy

hairier; hairiest

1 a : covered with hair or hairlike material

b : having a downy fuzz on the stems and leaves

2 : made of or resembling hair

3 a : tending to cause nervous tension (as from danger)

a hairy adventure

b : difficult to deal with or comprehend

a hairy math problem

—

hairiness

play \ˈher-ē-nəs\ noun

See hairy defined for English-language learners

See hairy defined for kids

Examples of hairy in a Sentence

The taxi ride got a little hairy.
When the deadline approaches, things can get a little hairy.

Recent Examples of hairy from the Web

Jokes included Hart making fun of Goran Dragic’s breath and Andre Drummond’s apparently hairy back, as well as Damian Lillard’s rap skills.

— nick vadala, Philly.com, "The Internet hated Kevin Hart's NBA All-Star Game intro almost as much as Fergie's National Anthem," 19 Feb. 2018
Coster-Waldau, who's currently the face of L'Oreal, has shown off his hairier side in the series before when Jaime embarked on a rugged journey with Brienne of Tarth after losing one of his hands.

— refinery29.com, "Uh, Jaime Lannister May Be Going Through A Huge Change In GOT's Final Season," 26 Mar. 2018
Prosecutor David Lasee: If she had been disrobed in her car, how do those clothes get not just bloody, but dirty and hairy?

— erin moriarty, CBS News, "The Fitbit Alibi: 21st century technology used to help solve Wisconsin mom's murder," 24 Mar. 2018
The Northern White Rhinos and the Southern White Rhinos share many similar physical traits, but the Northern White Rhinos are a little bit smaller and more hairy, Marcom said.

— victor ren, azcentral, "Wildlife World Zoo plans breeding program to help Southern White Rhinos survive," 20 Mar. 2018
Talk about a hairy situation and a sign that spring break has officially arrived on America’s No.

— madeleine marr, miamiherald, "How do we know spring break has arrived? Look to the hairkini | Miami Herald," 9 Mar. 2018
Each WerePup is molded and painted by hand, and each and every hair on their hairy little bodies is rooted by hand by Eriksen.

— lisa gutierrez, kansascity, "Baby werewolf spotted on NYC subway. People freaked out. Here's what they saw | The Kansas City Star," 8 Mar. 2018
At the same time, a hairy Marxist academic who's been hanging around the factory tries to persuade the workers to collectivize and run the place themselves, a notion that soon collides with their unenlightened self-interest.

— Chicago Reader, "More than 60 new features premiere locally at the European Union Film Festival," 7 Mar. 2018
And as Graham's family pointed out in their group text, this is a twist for the famously hairy Graham.

— rachel nussbaum, Glamour, "Ashley Graham's Family Is Group Texting About Her Bush—No, We're Not Kidding," 27 Feb. 2018

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

First Known Use of hairy

14th century

hairy Synonyms

HAIRY Defined for English Language Learners

hairy

adjective

Definition of hairy for English Language Learners

: covered with a lot of hair
: causing fear or tension : dangerous or stressful

HAIRY Defined for Kids

hairy

adjective \ ˈher-ē \

Definition of hairy for Students

hairier; hairiest

: covered with hair

—

hairiness

noun

Medical Dictionary

hairy

adjective \ ˈha(ə)r-ē, ˈhe(ə)r- \

medical Definition of hairy

hairier; hairiest

1 : covered with hair or hairlike material

2 : made of or resembling hair

—

hairiness

play \ˈhar-ē-nəs, ˈher-\ noun

Learn More about hairy

See words that rhyme with hairy Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for hairy Spanish Central: Translation of hairy Nglish: Translation of hairy for Spanish speakers

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hairy

Definition of hairy

hairiness

Examples of hairy in a Sentence

Recent Examples of hairy from the Web

First Known Use of hairy

hairy Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

HAIRY Defined for English Language Learners

hairy

Definition of hairy for English Language Learners

HAIRY Defined for Kids

hairy

Definition of hairy for Students

hairiness

Medical Dictionary

hairy

medical Definition of hairy

hairiness

Learn More about hairy

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