spicy

adjective \ ˈspī-sē \

Definition of spicy

spicier; spiciest

1 :having the quality, flavor, or fragrance of spice

2 :producing or abounding in spices

3 :lively, spirited

4 :piquant, racy; especially :somewhat scandalous or salacious

spicy gossip

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spicily

play \ˈspī-sə-lē\ adverb

—

spiciness

play \ˈspī-sē-nəs\ noun

See spicy defined for English-language learners

See spicy defined for kids

Examples of spicy in a Sentence

a spicy suggestion that earned him a slap in the face

Recent Examples of spicy from the Web

While the artichokes made the enchiladas that much better, whole kernels of sweet corn, barely spicy slices of poblano pepper and a judicious use of jack cheese make for a worthwhile experience as is.

— lindsey mcclave, The Courier-Journal, "El Mundo's 'controlled chaos' is worth the delicious wait | Review," 30 Aug. 2017
Salsas include mild tomato with cilantro and chiles, tomatillo with cilantro and garlic or chipotle with roasted tomatoes and smoky chipotle chiles or go with spicy picante sauce.

— linda bladholm, miamiherald, "These fresh tacos and salads bring a taste of the west coast," 29 Aug. 2017
Sweet wines are tradition here, though irresistible spicy reds have entered the scene thanks to a new generation of vintners.

— Smithsonian, "10 Unexpectedly Scenic Places in Austria," 14 Aug. 2017
Harissa, the spicy Northern African chili paste, dabbed on top along with sprinkled zaatar spice mix is great.

— polly campbell, Cincinnati.com, "Do deviled eggs better," 10 Aug. 2017
Had some Mesclun mix and spicy arugula from the greenmarket topped with egg, avocado, onions, cucumber, carrots, and a whole lemon squeezed on top.

— randy garutti, Bon Appetit, "The Shake Shack CEO Eats Thousands of Burgers, But What Else?," 31 July 2017
Case in point: the flaming-throwingly spicy Chicken 65 ($8.99), which here is pan-fried, not deep-fried.

— michael klein, Philly.com, "Let's Eat: Something diferente on East Passyunk," 19 July 2017
The spicy chicken pops are a lesson in the tingling effect of Sichuan peppercorns.

— garrett snyder, Los Angeles Magazine, "The Los Angeles Magazine Hot Restaurant List for July 2017," 18 July 2017
At Vanity Fair, the always spicy Eric Spitznagel talks with cast and crew in a revealing oral history of the making of Meatballs.

— aaron gilbreath, Longreads, "The Making of ‘Meatballs’: Is Bill Murray Even Going to Show Up?," 13 July 2017

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

First Known Use of spicy

1562

spicy Synonyms

Synonyms

bawdy, blue, gamy (or gamey), lewd, off, off-color (or off-colored), racy, ribald, risqué, salty, suggestive

Related Words

leering; barnyard, coarse, coarse-grained, crude, earthy, foul, gross, vulgar; dirty, filthy, gutter, indecent, lascivious, locker-room, nasty, obscene, pornographic, porny, prurient, raunchy, smutty, stag, unprintable, unpublishable, warm, X-rated; immodest, indecorous, indelicate, naughty

Near Antonyms

clean, decent, G-rated, nonobscene; innocuous, inoffensive; priggish, prim, prudish, puritanical, staid, straitlaced (or straightlaced), Victorian; correct, decorous, genteel, nice, polite, proper, respectable, seemly

SPICY Defined for English Language Learners

spicy

adjective

Definition of spicy for English Language Learners

of food : flavored with or containing strong spices and especially ones that cause a burning feeling in your mouth
: exciting and somewhat shocking

SPICY Defined for Kids

spicy

adjective \ ˈspī-sē \

Definition of spicy for Students

spicier; spiciest

1 :flavored with or containing spice

a spicy sauce

2 :somewhat shocking or indecent

a spicy story

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spiciness

noun

Learn More about spicy

See words that rhyme with spicy Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for spicy Spanish Central: Translation of spicy Nglish: Translation of spicy for Spanish speakers

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spicy

Definition of spicy

spicily

spiciness

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Examples of spicy in a Sentence

Recent Examples of spicy from the Web

First Known Use of spicy

spicy Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

SPICY Defined for English Language Learners

spicy

Definition of spicy for English Language Learners

SPICY Defined for Kids

spicy

Definition of spicy for Students

spiciness

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