variants
or less commonly ropey
ropier; ropiest
1
a
: capable of being drawn into a thread : viscous
also
: tending to adhere in stringy masses
b
: having a gelatinous or slimy quality from bacterial or fungal contamination
ropy milk
ropy flour
ropiness
noun
Examples of ropy in a Sentence
The passengers looked a bit ropy after the bumpy flight.
because the paint was so old, it was ropy and couldn't be smoothly applied to the wood
Recent Examples on the Web
With a rocker’s bleached-out shag, ropy arms vined with tattoos and jangly silver bracelets, and skintight jeans slashed by rips and rivets, Mr. Webb was a proudly resolute bearer of the punk-glam torch, even as the decades moved inexorably along.
—
Penelope Green, New York Times, 16 Apr. 2020
Nearly 2m Ukrainians have arrived since 2014, pushed by a ropy national economy and a war in the country’s east, and pulled by higher wages in Poland.
—The Economist, 22 Feb. 2020
Calamari aren’t the usual thin threads of squid, but thick, ropy rectangles, piping hot and partnered with an Asian-inflected, peanut-tamarind-miso dipping sauce.
—Rand Richards Cooper, courant.com, 18 Sep. 2019
Honda’s updates to the Fit’s suspension and steering for 2018 only slightly button down its ropy behavior.
—Alexander Stoklosa, Car and Driver, 19 Jan. 2018
Pastas are a forceful presence on the tight menu, including ropy rye-flour bucatini coiling among fat fresh clams and chunks of pancetta.
—Mike Sula, Chicago Reader, 13 Dec. 2017
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Penelope Green, New York Times, 16 Apr. 2020
Nearly 2m Ukrainians have arrived since 2014, pushed by a ropy national economy and a war in the country’s east, and pulled by higher wages in Poland.
—The Economist, 22 Feb. 2020
Calamari aren’t the usual thin threads of squid, but thick, ropy rectangles, piping hot and partnered with an Asian-inflected, peanut-tamarind-miso dipping sauce.
—Rand Richards Cooper, courant.com, 18 Sep. 2019
Honda’s updates to the Fit’s suspension and steering for 2018 only slightly button down its ropy behavior.
—Alexander Stoklosa, Car and Driver, 19 Jan. 2018
Pastas are a forceful presence on the tight menu, including ropy rye-flour bucatini coiling among fat fresh clams and chunks of pancetta.
—Mike Sula, Chicago Reader, 13 Dec. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Ropy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ropy. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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