wintry C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˈwɪn.tri/ UK /ˈwɪn.tri/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adj characteristic of winter; cold, bleak, or unfriendly He gave a wintry smile that chilled the room. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · characteristic of winter;... coldfrostyicybleakchillyfrigidglacial ↔ Opposites summerywarmbalmymild Word family Derived forms wintriness Related forms winter Etymology AI details From Old English wintriġ ('wintry'), from winter + -ig (-y), from Proto-Germanic *wintruz ('winter'). winter Old English *wintruz Proto-Germanic View etymology graph -> Topics Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # wintry **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈwɪn.tri/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈwɪn.tri/ ## Meanings 1. characteristic of winter; cold, bleak, or unfriendly ## Examples - He gave a wintry smile that chilled the room. ## Synonyms - cold - frosty - icy - bleak - chilly - frigid - glacial ## Antonyms - summery - warm - balmy - mild ## Derived Forms - wintriness ## Related Forms - winter ## Roots and Affixes - Root: winter - Root: *wintruz ## Etymology From Old English wintriġ ('wintry'), from winter + -ig (-y), from Proto-Germanic *wintruz ('winter'). ## AI Etymology Wintry comes from Old English wintriġ ('wintry'), from winter + -ig (-y), from Proto-Germanic *wintruz ('winter'). In current use it is an adjective meaning "characteristic of winter; cold, bleak, or unfriendly". 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 historical chain includes Old English winter and Proto-Germanic *wintruz. Related English forms include winter. A derived form is wintriness. 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