puffy

adjective

ˈpə-fē 

puffier; puffiest

1

a

: swollen in size : bloated

puffy lips

… Hagrid gazed at him for a moment through his puffy, blackened eyes, apparently taken aback.

—J. K. Rowling

… who was … blind drunk, her voice slurry and her face puffy.

—Edna O'Brien

also : chubby

Fatty Hicks, the shrill and puffy son of Nat, flapped his hand at the beautiful stranger …

—Sinclair Lewis

b

: having a puffed up form or appearance : soft, light, and fluffy

puffy white clouds

a puffy bun

puffy hair

It is very difficult to shake hands when you're wearing ski mittens. They're so puffy and fat it's like shaking hands with giant marshmallows.

—Ann M. Martin

Not far away is a Georgian bakery where we found long, puffy loaves of wonderfully crisp bread.

—Jeffrey Steingarten

2

: blowing in puffs : gusty

a strong, puffy wind

3

: characterized by vanity or ostentation : pompous, showy

puffy rhetoric

All of my small, puffy pride at being the skipper of a tiny unit in a great nation victorious over the forces of evil seemed to blow away before the drunken racket of those three thousand men.

—Louis Auchincloss

puffiness

ˈpə-fē-nəs 

noun

Symptoms include nausea and vomiting, muscle weakness, headache and disorientation, as well as bloating and puffiness in the face and fingers.

—Susan Gilbert

Examples of puffy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The puffy silhouette and shiny polyester give a trendy take on the square backpack design, and the double top handles allow this backpack to double as a tote bag. —L.a. Hubilla, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024

Even if that thought has never crossed your mind, this puffy shoe will change your tune. —Maggie Slepian, Travel + Leisure, 10 Apr. 2024

The new collection features dreamy silhouettes with puffy tulle, lace skirts, ruffles, bows, and other whimsical touches. —Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 10 Apr. 2024

Though not always as soft and cushy as some puffy designs, curves bring about the same feeling. —Sharon Greenthal, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Apr. 2024

In keeping with the name of the whisky, the label design features a night sky with puffy clouds, representing the whisky’s smoky character, and the Pegasus constellation to evoke the celestial theme. —Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 21 Mar. 2024

The project group is now researching whether the deliberate addition of sea salt to the low, puffy stratocumulus clouds over the ocean would have a cooling effect on the planet. —Sabrina Weiss, WIRED, 20 Mar. 2024

Eye bags are what happens when the skin below the eyes become swollen, puffy or appear to be droopy. —Hannah Yasharoff, USA TODAY, 27 Mar. 2024

The Twilight star wore a MoMA sweatshirt and a puffy Patagonia jacket, placing both hands on the stroller while new mom Waterhouse wore a black trench coat, baseball cap and sunglasses. —Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 26 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1594, in the meaning defined at sense 3