woody

1 of 2

adjective

ˈwu̇-dē 

woodier; woodiest

1

: abounding or overgrown with woods

2

a

: of or containing wood or wood fibers : ligneous

woody tissues

b

: having woody parts : rich in xylem and associated structures

woody plants

3

: characteristic of or suggestive of wood

wine with a woody flavor

woodiness noun

woody

2 of 2

noun

ˈwu̇-dē 

variants or woodie

plural woodies

: a wood-paneled station wagon

Examples of woody in a Sentence

Adjective

a woody piece of land

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Rose-of-Sharon This non-native, woody shrub can grow up to 8 to 12 feet and make a bold statement in your garden. —Anne Readel, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 June 2025

Harvest leaves regularly to prevent plants from setting flowers, which leads to woodier growth and bitter tasting leaves. —Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 16 May 2025

Noun

Using cutting-edge radar technologies, the satellite is on a five-year mission to survey forests across sprawling swaths of the globe, looking beneath their canopies to accurately assess their total woody biomass—trunks, limbs, stems, and so on. —Emma R. Hasson, Scientific American, 1 July 2025

In the forest, carpenter ants have a job to do, recycling woody debris, such as dead trees and fallen logs. —Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 30 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

alteration of wood entry 2

First Known Use

Adjective

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1961, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for woody

• goody
• hoodie

Kids Definition

woody

adjective

ˈwu̇d-ē

woodier; woodiest

1

: having or covered with trees

a woody piece of land

2

: of or containing wood or wood fibers

woody plant tissue

3

: characteristic of or similar to wood

a woody texture