hairy

adjective

ˈher-ē How to pronounce hairy (audio)
Definition of hairynext
1
as in shaggy
covered with or as if with hair a hairy spider

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fuzzy
made of or resembling hair found enough hairy clumps around the house to make another cat a hairy mass of fiberglass insulation

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3
as in difficult
requiring exceptional skill or caution in performance or handling landing on that airstrip is always a hairy proposition

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in disturbing
marked by or causing agitation or uncomfortable feelings the snowstorm made for a hairy commute back home that evening

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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 hairy Some plants are less likely to get eaten than others, namely, plants with strong fragrance and to a lesser extent, things that are hairy or heavily textured. — Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 21 July 2026 Scope 3 is the big, hairy one to get your arms around, but for us Scope 1 is our own operations—not just our stores, but our manufacturing. — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 20 July 2026 Another way that the U-Penn system offers a massive improvement over previous rigid and hydrogel electrodes – which poorly adhere to hairy skin, or skin wet from perspiration – is in their actual dermal application. — New Atlas, 18 July 2026 New leaves frequently emerge reddish, and the plant may grow as a ground cover, shrub, or climbing vine with hairy aerial roots. — Samantha Johnson, Martha Stewart, 15 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for hairy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hairy
  1. shaggy
  2. fuzzy
  3. difficult
  4. disturbing
  5. silky
  6. rough
  7. sensitive
  8. uneasy
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
  • Compared to other changes—like restricting minor use to two hours per day and giving them the option to have a non-personalized feed—what, exactly, the limits on beauty filters will look like is still a bit fuzzy.
    — Elizabeth Gulino, Allure, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Looking closely at the images, some of the lines of the decagon appear quite fuzzy, which leads Sánchez-Lavega to believe the wave is unstable or still evolving.
    — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of fuzzy
Adjective
  • The losses linked to the demise of these groups are difficult to quantify, but participants and advocates say the impacts will reverberate across federal agencies for years.
    — Katia Riddle, NPR, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Ground surveys can provide more detailed information at a particular site, but covering an entire subway corridor that way would be difficult.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of difficult
Adjective
  • The project follows a husband and wife who buy their dream ranch only to discover the land is alive with ancient spirits, and survival means submitting to increasingly disturbing rituals with each turn of the season.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 1 Sep. 2026
  • You might be surprised by just how disturbing The Texas Chain Saw Massacre remains more than 50 years later.
    — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of disturbing
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
  • Convincing a parent to get hearing aids can be a rough experience.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The journey back to the river camp was an arduous three-mile hike over rough terrain.
    — Jan Thacker, Outdoor Life, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of rough
Adjective
  • Government debt makes up more than 200% of its gross domestic product, leaving its finances highly sensitive to rising borrowing costs.
    — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026
  • In addition to pressure, the team demonstrated that the same basic glass platform could also be made sensitive to temperature.
    — Pawel Maniewski, New Atlas, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of sensitive
Adjective
  • As the video popped up on social media and the Spanish-language Facebook group Danbury Al Dia, Hernandez grew uneasy.
    — Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 31 Aug. 2026
  • In addition to Cima and her father, the film centers on Hig and Bangley (Josh Brolin), two very different men whose uneasy partnership is shaped by the harsh realities of their new world.
    — Lily Brown, PEOPLE, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of uneasy

Browse Nearby Words

hair-trigger
hairy
hairy-chested
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Cite this Entry

“Hairy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hairy. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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