rainy

adjective \ ˈrā-nē \

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

Definition of rainy

rainier; rainiest

: marked by, abounding with, or bringing rain

rainy weather

See rainy defined for English-language learners

See rainy defined for kids

Examples of rainy in a Sentence

found that the cold, rainy weather made his joints swell and ache

Recent Examples of rainy from the Web

Saturday is expected to be rainy and windy with a high temperature of 37 and a wintry mix in the evening as the mercury drops to about 32.

— meg jones, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Weekend forecast: Crummy with lots of rain and possibly snow," 12 Apr. 2018
After starting work last year, Burnett was forced to suspend operations during the rainy season, a delay prolonged by the soaking the area received from Hurricane Irma.

— david fleshler, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Oil search resumes at Big Cypress," 12 Apr. 2018
Home simply didn’t have much to offer — a place where dirt roads turned to mud in the rainy season, with no high school and few jobs other than blistering work in the fields of tobacco and corn.

— brittny mejia, www.latimes.com, "They came to L.A. from Mexico for a better life. Now some are finding it — back in Mexico," 6 Apr. 2018
The following year, the first of the ban, was too rainy for egg-rolling, making the law a moot point.

— jillian mackenzie, Town & Country, "A Brief History of the White House Easter Egg Roll," 30 Mar. 2018
The National Weather says there is no significant rain in the forecast for the next 7 to 10 days, indicating the San Diego will go through the core of the rainy season with a major rain deficit.

— gary robbins, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Warm weather will return to San Diego County this week," 25 Mar. 2018
The storm could be the single biggest rainfall event in downtown Los Angeles so far this rainy season, AccuWeather meteorologist Dan Pydynowski said.

— doyle rice, USA TODAY, "Thousands flee as California rainstorm raises fears of floods, mudslides," 22 Mar. 2018
Saturday will be rainy with an isolated thunderstorm possible.

— robert a. cronkleton and kaitlyn schwers, kansascity, "KC evening commute could be dicey as freezing drizzle lingers; more rain to come | The Kansas City Star," 22 Feb. 2018
Ireland was too unpredictably rainy and cold, Greece was hot with too many homogenously picture-perfect sand-and-water islands, Croatia too unpredictably inconvenient transit-wise, Peru too up and down with the altitudes.

— diane mehta, Longreads, "Letter to a Dog Walking Service," 10 Feb. 2018

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

First Known Use of rainy

before 12th century

rainy Synonyms

Rainy

geographical name \ ˈrā-nē \

Definition of Rainy

river 80 miles (129 kilometers) long on the Canada–U.S. boundary between Ontario and Minnesota flowing from Rainy Lake into Lake of the Woods

RAINY Defined for English Language Learners

rainy

adjective

Definition of rainy for English Language Learners

: having a lot of rain

RAINY Defined for Kids

rainy

adjective \ ˈrā-nē \

Definition of rainy for Students

rainier; rainiest

: having much rain

a rainy season

Learn More about rainy

See words that rhyme with rainy Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for rainy Spanish Central: Translation of rainy Nglish: Translation of rainy for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of rainy for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up rainy? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

rainy

Definition of rainy

Examples of rainy in a Sentence

Recent Examples of rainy from the Web

First Known Use of rainy

rainy Synonyms

Synonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Rainy

Definition of Rainy

Phrases Related to RAINY

Related Phrases

RAINY Defined for English Language Learners

rainy

Definition of rainy for English Language Learners

RAINY Defined for Kids

rainy

Definition of rainy for Students

Learn More about rainy

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Words We're Watching: 'Bluebeard,' the Verb

Odd Habits and Quirks Quiz

Trending: Trump: Den of Thieves and 'Lowlifes'

The Adverb: A Most Fascinating POS

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes