Join free

hairy

English · Thesaurus

AI In plain words

Writing a short explanation…

Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.

hairy¹

  • /ˈhɛə.ɹi/ UK
  • /ˈhɛɹ.i/ US
  • /ˈheːɹi/ Australia
  • /ˈheəɹi/ New Zealand
  • /ˈhiəɹi/
  • /ˈheɹɪ/ Scotland
  • /ˈheɹe/ Scotland
  • /ˈhɜːɹɪ/

Sounds like harry (Mary–marry–merry merger), Harry (Mary–marry–merry merger) · Rhymes with -ɛəɹi

Where it comes from

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.

adjective hairier · hairiest

  1. of a person Having a lot of body hair. a hairy man

    Similar: hirsute, furry, hairful

  2. of an animal Having a lot of fur. Near-synonyms: long-haired, furry, fluffy

    Similar: long-haired, furry, fluffy

  3. of a human body part other than the head Having hair growing from it. hairy chest;   hairy back

    Similar: villous, hirsute, furry

  4. uncommon Long-haired. yelling about dirty, hairy hippies
  5. Seeming as if hair-covered or as if consisting of hair. Near-synonym: hairlike

    Similar: hairlike

  6. informal Difficult, complex, intricate, or intimidating. It’s a hairy problem, and will probably take several weeks to sort out.
  7. informal Causing anxiety or fright; terrifying, scary. Some surfers prefer the hairy thrill of a big wave.

    Similar: hair-raising

Opposite: bald, hairless

hairy²

  • /ˈhɛə.ɹi/ UK
  • /ˈhɛɹ.i/ US
  • /ˈheːɹi/ Australia
  • /ˈheəɹi/ New Zealand
  • /ˈhiəɹi/
  • /ˈheɹɪ/ Scotland
  • /ˈheɹe/ Scotland
  • /ˈhɜːɹɪ/

Sounds like harry (Mary–marry–merry merger), Harry (Mary–marry–merry merger) · Rhymes with -ɛəɹi

Where it comes from

From haircut + -y.

noun hairies

  1. Australia, rare, slang A haircut (the act of cutting of hair). Had the cutest elderly man come for a hairy today, told me he had to put his glasses on for the photos bc thy ^([sic]) made him look better

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: comate, hirsute, pilose, wire-haired, haired, pilous, puberulent, furred, furlike, furry, long-haired, shock-headed, fuzzy, downy, wooly, lanate

adjective

Opposite: bald, hairless

Translations

Every language

adj of a person

Españolpeludo, velludo, peloso, velloso, vellido, lanuginoso
日本語毛深い kebukai, 毛むくじゃらの kemukujara no
中文毛茸茸的 máoróngrōng de, 多毛的 duōmáo de, 長毛的 /长毛的 zhǎngmáo de
Portuguêspeludo
Françaispoilu
Deutschbehaart, haarig
Italianopeloso
Ελληνικάτριχωτός trichotós
Românăpăros
Русскийволоса́тый volosátyj
العربيةمَشْعَر mašʕar
עבריתשעיר

adj of an animal

Españolpeludo, lanudo, peloso, lanoso
Portuguêspeludo
Deutschpelzartig
Русскиймохна́тый moxnátyj

adj of a body part other than the head

Españolpeludo, velludo, peloso, velloso, vellido
Portuguêspeludo
Françaispoilu
Deutschbehaart, haarig
Italianopeloso
Русскийволоса́тый volosátyj
العربيةمُشَعَّر mušaʕʕar
עבריתשעיר

adj difficult, complex, intricate, or intimidating

Españolpeludo, peliagudo, pelú

Talk about this word

Cite this
MLA

"hairy." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/hairy. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

hairy. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/hairy

Chicago

"hairy." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/hairy.

BibTeX
@misc{hairy_2026,
  title = {hairy},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/hairy},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}