nappier; nappiest
1
informal + sometimes offensive, of hair
: naturally coarse and tightly coiled : kinky sense 1
He looks hip and relaxed in jeans and a floppy salt-and-pepper sweater, a soul patch beneath his lower lip, his hair cropped short and stylishly nappy.—
Jeffrey Tayler
Jeffrey TaylerA Nova Scotia court martial heard contrasting views from witnesses Monday on whether a white reservist's use of the word "nappy" to describe a black co-worker's hair was intended as a racial slur.—The Calgary Herald
The Calgary HeraldIn "Nappy Hair," the 51-year-old Herron, who is black, tells how her uncle taught her to celebrate her hair—and her culture. The controversy caught her by surprise, since Herron does not regard the word "nappy," or frizzy, as negative.—Lisa Meyer
Lisa Meyer2
: having a hairy, fuzzy, or downy surface
Press velvets, velours, corduroy, or other nappy fabrics on the wrong side; don't let the iron rest on the fabric.—Consumer Reports
Consumer ReportsThrift and resale shops are no longer a haven for nappy sweaters and faded blue jeans.—Natalie Boehme
Natalie BoehmeExamples of nappy in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Kjartan Rist, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
These are giant concrete-like clusters of cooking oil, grease, nappies, wet wipes and such that congeal into masses in our sewers, clogging networks.
—Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 25 Aug. 2025
But composting services aren’t universally available and some of the products are less absorbent than normal nappies, critics say.
—Diana Olick, CNBC, 1 July 2025
More chaos, more laughs, more nappies and more...everything!
—Hannah Sacks, People.com, 20 May 2025
Not to mention having the epic yellow nappies from the waist down.
—Ollie Barder, Forbes, 25 Nov. 2024
Atletico Madrid, Leganes, Sevilla, Betis and Mallorca were among those to use their stadiums as collection points for materials donated by supporters, with food, blankets, nappies and water sent by road to those who badly needed them.
—Dermot Corrigan, The Athletic, 24 Nov. 2024
The results are wondrous: a delightfully discordant fever dream that covers high fashion nappies, boots inspired by André Courrèges, and a puff-sleeve wedding dress suggesting both restriction and a strange kind of freedom.
—Liam Hess, Vogue, 8 Mar. 2024
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Noun
Despite all the marvels, Agentic AI is still in nappies.
—Kjartan Rist, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
These are giant concrete-like clusters of cooking oil, grease, nappies, wet wipes and such that congeal into masses in our sewers, clogging networks.
—Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 25 Aug. 2025
But composting services aren’t universally available and some of the products are less absorbent than normal nappies, critics say.
—Diana Olick, CNBC, 1 July 2025
More chaos, more laughs, more nappies and more...everything!
—Hannah Sacks, People.com, 20 May 2025
Not to mention having the epic yellow nappies from the waist down.
—Ollie Barder, Forbes, 25 Nov. 2024
Atletico Madrid, Leganes, Sevilla, Betis and Mallorca were among those to use their stadiums as collection points for materials donated by supporters, with food, blankets, nappies and water sent by road to those who badly needed them.
—Dermot Corrigan, The Athletic, 24 Nov. 2024
The results are wondrous: a delightfully discordant fever dream that covers high fashion nappies, boots inspired by André Courrèges, and a puff-sleeve wedding dress suggesting both restriction and a strange kind of freedom.
—Liam Hess, Vogue, 8 Mar. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Nappy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nappy. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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