COTTONY Synonyms: 63 Similar and Opposite Words

cottony

adjective

ˈkät-nē

Definition of cottony

as in shaggy

covered with or as if with hair that gray, cottony spot on the bread is mold

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in silky

smooth or delicate in appearance or feel fluffy, cottony hair

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of cottony Mealybugs look like cottony white masses, scale insects appear as brown bumps on the leaves, and spider mites leave sticky webbing behind. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 22 Feb. 2026 For this new fleece, AG is using the type of longer-staple cotton fibers found in soft cottony things like fancy dress shirts and expensive bedsheets. — Michael Calore, Wired News, 16 Dec. 2025 Indoors, window dressings create dioramas of glittering reindeer, silvery elves and Saint Nicks and traditional nutcrackers framed with greenery, icicles and cottony snow. — Rachel Bernhard, jsonline.com, 2 Dec. 2025 These small insects have a waxy, white, cottony appearance and can usually be found in clusters on the underside of leaves and in stem joints. — Sheryl Geerts, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 May 2025 Behind him, a little further down, a cottony mist is spreading between folds in the hills, a white fog on red earth, the sea has disappeared. — Literary Hub, 19 May 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cottony

Adjective

There’s little tension or drive, just shaggy scenes about paranoia, trust and hope.

— Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
So much of it has degraded—tapes rotted to spooky fuzz, videos with shaggy images and too‑white faces.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of shaggy

Adjective

Seabrooke said that even day-to-day activities—like washing with too-hot water, heat damage, rough towel drying, and genetics—can all play into hair that’s more staticky than silky.

— Jenny Berg, Vogue, 28 Aug. 2026
Think poofy baby doll dresses and silky slip dresses, but with that signature Olivia flair, of course.

— Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of silky

Adjective

The southern hairy-nosed wombat is the smallest of three species of wombats, all found in Australia, typically weighing between 45 and 65 pounds.

— Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 16 Aug. 2026
These vines will also happily wind their way around tree trunks and shrubs and fix themselves in place with small rootlets that take on a hairy appearance as poison ivy plants mature.

— Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of hairy

Adjective

Offer a realistic time, suggest a softer plan, and let honesty keep the connection easy.

— Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Aug. 2026
There has always been something compelling about Paul Baker, something about the interplay between his frat-star good looks and Canadian soft-boy heart.

— Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026