willowy C1 Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˈwɪloʊi/ UK /ˈwɪləʊi/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adj gracefully tall, slender, and lithe, often used to describe a person's physique The dancer's willowy figure moved elegantly across the stage. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · gracefully tall, slender,... lithesvelteslendergracefulslim More lanky ↔ Opposites stockystoutsquat Etymology AI details From willow (Old English welig, the willow tree) + the adjective-forming suffix -y, giving willowy (like a willow); modern English willowy means slender and graceful. Topics Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # willowy **Type:** Word **Level:** C1 **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈwɪloʊi/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈwɪləʊi/ ## Meanings 1. gracefully tall, slender, and lithe, often used to describe a person's physique ## Examples - The dancer's willowy figure moved elegantly across the stage. ## Synonyms - lithe - svelte - slender - graceful - slim - lanky ## Antonyms - stocky - stout - squat ## Etymology From willow (Old English welig, the willow tree) + the adjective-forming suffix -y, giving willowy (like a willow); modern English willowy means slender and graceful. ## AI Etymology Willowy comes from willow (Old English welig, the willow tree) + the adjective-forming suffix -y, giving willowy (like a willow); modern English willowy means slender and graceful. In current use it is an adjective meaning "gracefully tall, slender, and lithe, often used to describe a person's physique". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. The surface form is compositional: its joined elements remain visible in the modern word. The word's history is thus visible in its construction: the components remain interpretable even after the whole expression has settled into a conventional English meaning. ## Topics - Describing Qualities - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown