watery

adjective

wa·​tery ˈwȯ-tə-rē How to pronounce watery (audio)
ˈwä-
1
a
: consisting of, filled with, or surrounded by water
b
: containing, sodden with, or yielding water or a thin liquid
a watery solution
watery vesicles
2
a
: resembling water or watery matter especially in thin fluidity, soggy texture, paleness, or lack of savor
watery sunlight
a watery soup
watery diarrhea
b
: exhibiting weakness and vapidity : wishy-washy
a watery writing style
waterily adverb
wateriness noun

Examples of watery in a Sentence

The pollen caused her eyes to become watery. The soup was watery and had no flavor. the watery light of winter
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Symptoms include fever, rash, cough and red, watery eyes. Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2025 The scene’s wallop, which is considerable, comes from White’s reaction — largely silent, with tears pooling in those already watery blue eyes. Tom Gliatto, People.com, 26 June 2025 Measles first infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body, causing a high fever, runny nose, cough, red, watery eyes and a rash. Devi Shastri, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2025 Paradise Rot is perhaps less of a wet, watery exploration than the others in this list, and more the study of the porousness of two bodies cohabitating, and the blurring of these bodily lines between each other and their more-than-human cohabitants. Siouxzi Connor june 20, Literary Hub, 20 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for watery

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of watery was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Watery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/watery. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

watery

adjective
wa·​tery ˈwȯt-ə-rē How to pronounce watery (audio)
ˈwät-
1
a
: consisting of or filled with water
a watery hole
b
: containing or giving out water or a thin liquid
a watery mixture
watery eyes
2
: being like water especially in thinness, sogginess, paleness, or lack of taste
watery soup

Medical Definition

watery

adjective
1
: consisting of or filled with water
2
: containing, sodden with, or yielding water or a thin liquid
a watery solution
watery stools

More from Merriam-Webster on watery

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!