woolly

English

Alternative forms

• wooly (chiefly used in the US, but less common than woolly even there)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwʊli/

• Audio (AU):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʊli

Etymology 1

From Middle English wolly, equivalent to wool +‎ -y. Cognate with Saterland Frisian wullich (“woolly”), Dutch wollig (“woolly”), German wollig (“woolly”), Swedish ullig (“woolly”).

Adjective

woolly (comparative woollier, superlative woolliest)

1. Made of wool.

   Put on a woolly jumper and turn down the thermostat.

2. Having a thick, soft texture, as if made of wool.

   woolly hair

   There was nothing left in the fruit bowl but a brown banana and a couple of woolly pears.

3. (figuratively) Of thinking, principles, etc, based on emotion rather than logic.

   That's the sort of woolly thinking that causes wars to start.

4. (figuratively) Unclear, fuzzy, hazy, cloudy.
5. (obsolete) Clothed in wool.
   • (Can we date this quote by Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     woolly breeders

Derived terms

• woolly hat
• woolly-headed, wooly-headed
• woolly-minded (British) and (US), wooly-minded (US)

Translations

made of wool

• Catalan: llanós
• Dutch: wollig (nl)
• French: laineux (fr)
• Friulian: lanôs
• German: wollen (de), Woll-
• Greek: μάλλινος (el) (mállinos)
• Hungarian: gyapjú (hu)
• Hunsrik: wollich
• Irish: olla, olanda
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: lanoso
• Polish: wełniany (pl) m
• Portuguese: lanoso (pt)
• Romanian: lânos (ro)
• Russian: шерстяно́й (ru) (šerstjanój)
• Spanish: lanoso
• Turkish: yünlü (tr)
• Welsh: gwlanog (cy)

having a thick, soft texture, as if made of wool

• German: wollartig, wollig, zottig, schwammig (de), lose (de)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

of thinking, principles, etc, based on emotion rather than logic

• German: blumig (de), wolkig (de), verklärt (de)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

unclear, fuzzy, hazy, cloudy

• German: unscharf (de), verschwommen (de), schwammig (de), vage (de), unkonkret
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

Noun

woolly (plural woollies)

1. (informal) A sweater or similar garment made of wool.
   • 1965, James Holledge, What Makes a Call Girl?, London: Horwitz Publications, page 82:

     `I've got a rotten cold and I'm not taking my woollies off until it's better.'

2. (US, slang) A sheep not yet shorn.
3. A piece of woolwork.

Etymology 2

From woolyback.

Noun

woolly (plural woollies)

1. (Liverpool slang, derogatory) A woolly back; someone from the area around Liverpool, not from Liverpool itself.