woolly

1 of 2

adjective

wool·​ly ˈwu̇-lē 

variants or less commonly wooly

woollier; woolliest

1

a

: resembling wool

b

: of, relating to, or bearing wool

2

a

: lacking in clearness or sharpness of outline

a woolly TV picture

b

: marked by mental confusion

woolly thinking

3

: marked by boisterous roughness or lack of order or restraint

… where the West is still woolly.

—Paul Schubert

—used especially in the phrase wild and woolly

woollily

ˈwu̇-lə-lē 

adverb

woolliness noun

woolly

2 of 2

noun

wool·​ly ˈwu̇-lē 

variants or less commonly wooly or woolie

plural woollies also woolies

1

: a garment made from wool

especially : underclothing of knitted wool

—usually used in plural

2

Western US and Australia : sheep

Synonyms of woolly

Adjective

• shaggy
• hairy
• fuzzy

Examples of woolly in a Sentence

Adjective

the dog's woolly coat will require a lot of grooming

still had a water bed and a woolly coverlet on top of it

Noun

Get out your winter woollies.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

But instead of a famous groundhog in the spotlight, the job belongs to the woolly bear caterpillar (better known locally as the woolly worm). —Symiah Dorsey, Southern Living, 28 Sep. 2025

Wales, meanwhile, sings in slate and soul—its valleys dotted with woolly sheep and echoed by the lilting notes of male voice choirs drifting from chapel doors. —Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025

Noun

To watch Farrell, one of our most soulful contemporary actors, giving his teenage all to a big number in How to Succeed—his eyes rimmed with that classic high-school drama department eyeliner—is to be forced to live in the wild-and-woolly moment. —Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 19 Sep. 2025

The woolly, deeply-lobed foliage of dusty miller is covered in tiny silver hairs that give leaves a silver to white sheen. —Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 15 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

circa 1865, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing woolly

• wild and woolly
• woolly adelgid
• woolly aphid
• woolly bear
• woolly-headed
• woolly mammoth
• woolly monkey
• woolly spider monkey

Rhymes for woolly

• bully
• fully
• pulley
• wooly

Kids Definition

woolly

1 of 2 adjective

wool·​ly

variants also wooly

ˈwu̇l-ē 

woollier; woolliest

1

a

: of, relating to, or bearing wool

woolly animals

b

: resembling wool

2

: marked by mental confusion

woolly thinking

3

: marked by roughness or disorder

the wild and woolly West

woolliness noun

woolly

2 of 2 noun

wool·​ly

variants also wooly or woolie

ˈwu̇l-ē

plural woollies

: a woolen garment

especially : underclothing of knitted wool

—usually used in plural