Adjective: hairy
Comparison Forms
Synthetic
| Comparative | hairier |
| Superlative | hairiest |
Perifrastic
Sample Sentences
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a hairy man
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Near-synonyms: long-haired, furry, fluffy
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hairy mammoth
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hairy chest; hairy back
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yelling about dirty, hairy hippies
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Near-synonym: hairlike
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hairy cell leukemia
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hairy moss
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It’s a hairy problem, and will probably take several weeks to sort out.
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Some surfers prefer the hairy thrill of a big wave. [1966, Bruce Brown, director, The Endless Summer:]
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A couple people see her, watch her slide on by, don't get all hairy about it. [1992, Neal Stephenson, Snow Crash, page 243:]
Adjectives inflected like hairy
syrupy,
seemly,
seggsy,
snuffy,
snippy,
snitty,
sniffy,
snotty,
snouty,
snobby,
snoozy,
snooty,
snazzy,
snappy,
snarky,
snarly,
snassy,
snaily,
snacky,
snaggy, etc. (List truncated at 20 adjectives)
Etymology
1. 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”).
2. The sense "terrifying, scary" possibly results from a blend of hair-raising and scary. See: Dutch Adjectives '
harig', German Adjectives '
haarig', Swedish Adjectives '
hårig'.