hairy

B2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈhɛɹ.i/ UK /ˈhɛə.ɹi/ See IPA manual

Freq #6844

Meanings

1

adj
Covered with a lot of hair.

He has hairy arms.
2

adj
Frightening and dangerous (informal).

The drive down the icy mountain road got pretty hairy.
3

adj
Difficult or complicated to deal with (informal).

It's a hairy problem that will take weeks to solve.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · covered with a lot of hair. hirsute furry haired

Opposites

bald hairless

Word family

Forms hairierhairiest

Derived forms hairilyhairinesshairybackhairyfishhairynessnonhairyunhairy

Related forms dasypygal

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

hairy tongue
a tongue condition in which enlarged surface projections create a hairlike appearance

Adjective + noun

Etymology

From Middle English hery, heeri, hary, equivalent to hair + -y. Compare Saterland Frisian hierich (“hairy”), West Frisian hierrich (“hairy”), Dutch harig (“hairy”), German Low German harig (“hairy”), German haarig (“hairy”), Swedish hårig (“hairy”), Icelandic hárugur (“hairy”). Compare also Old English hǣriht (“hairy”) and ġehǣre (“hairy”). The sense "terrifying, scary" possibly results from a blend of hair-raising and scary.

hery Middle English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Register & Style

External links

# hairy

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈhɛɹ.i/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈhɛə.ɹi/
**Frequency rank:** 6844

## Meanings
1. Covered with a lot of hair.
2. Frightening and dangerous (informal).
3. Difficult or complicated to deal with (informal).

## Examples
- He has hairy arms.
- The drive down the icy mountain road got pretty hairy.
- It's a hairy problem that will take weeks to solve.

## Antonyms
- bald
- hairless

## Derived Forms
- hairily
- hairiness
- hairyback
- hairyfish
- hairyness
- nonhairy
- unhairy

## Related Forms
- dasypygal

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: hery
- Affix: -y - full of

## Etymology
From Middle English hery, heeri, hary, equivalent to hair + -y. Compare Saterland Frisian hierich (“hairy”), West Frisian hierrich (“hairy”), Dutch harig (“hairy”), German Low German harig (“hairy”), German haarig (“hairy”), Swedish hårig (“hairy”), Icelandic hárugur (“hairy”). Compare also Old English hǣriht (“hairy”) and ġehǣre (“hairy”). The sense "terrifying, scary" possibly results from a blend of hair-raising and scary.

## AI Etymology
Hairy comes from Middle English hery, heeri, hary, equivalent to hair + -y. Compare Saterland Frisian hierich (“hairy”), West Frisian hierrich (“hairy”), Dutch harig (“hairy”), German Low German harig (“hairy”), German haarig (“hairy”), Swedish hårig (“hairy”), Icelandic hárugur (“hairy”). Compare also Old English hǣriht (“hairy”) and ġehǣre (“hairy”). The sense "terrifying, scary" possibly results from a blend of hair-raising and scary. In current use, the main senses are “Covered with a lot of hair” and “Frightening and dangerous (informal)”.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Register & Style

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