mousy

adjective

ˈmau̇-sē 

-zē

variants or mousey

mousier; mousiest

: of, relating to, or resembling a mouse: such as

a

: quiet, stealthy

b

: timid, retiring

Mary was rather quiet and a bit mousy, but absolutely brilliant.

—Anna Russell

c

: grayish brown

mousy hair

mousily

ˈmau-sə-lē 

-zə-

adverb

mousiness

ˈmau-sē-nəs 

-zē-

noun

Synonyms of mousy

• timid

Examples of mousy in a Sentence

The movie is a fantasy about a mousy housewife who is transformed into a glamorous star.

a mousy little girl who hid behind her mother the entire time we were there

Recent Examples on the Web

Justine Skye took this mousy brown look to the next level by bleaching her brows to match. —Kara Jillian Brown, InStyle, 22 May 2026

Handsome Belgian executive Geert (Arieh Worthalter) regales an enthusiastic crowd with a yarn, while his mousy tech head Luc (Jan Hammenecker) demonstrates to what might be the world’s first speech-to-text technology. —Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 15 Feb. 2026

Her name is Minnie, but her shyness leans toward the mousy, though no one would ever say that to her, least of all her beloved and extremely outgoing best friend, Callie (Chloe Coleman). —Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 13 Feb. 2026

Raimi delights in turning a mousy, reality-TV-loving woman into a boar-hunting, shelter-building alpha dog. —David Sims, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1812, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

mousy

adjective

variants or mousey

ˈmau̇-sē  -zē 

mousier; mousiest

: of, relating to, or resembling a mouse: as

a

: quiet entry 2 sense 1a, stealthy

b

: shy entry 1 sense 1a, timid

c

: dull in color : drab