woolly

(redirected from woolier)
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Related to woolier: wooliest, woollier

wool·ly

also wool·y (wo͝ol′ē)

adj. wool·li·er, wool·li·est also wool·i·er or wool·i·est

a. Relating to, consisting of, or covered with wool.

b. Resembling wool.

a. Lacking sharp detail or clarity: woolly television reception.

b. Mentally or intellectually disorganized or unclear: woolly thinking.

3. Rough, disorderly, or unrestrained: "newspaper ads called for ... stricter gun control everywhere in this wild and woolly nation" (Ed McBain).

n. pl. wool·lies also wool·ies

1. A garment made of wool, especially an undergarment of knitted wool.

2. Australian A sheep.

wool′li·ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

woolly

(ˈwʊlɪ) or

wooly

adj, woollier or woolliest, woolier or wooliest

1. (Textiles) consisting of, resembling, or having the nature of wool

2. (Textiles) covered or clothed in wool or something resembling it

3. lacking clarity or substance: woolly thinking.

4. (Botany) botany covered with long soft whitish hairs: woolly stems.

5. (Historical Terms) US recalling the rough and lawless period of the early West of America (esp in the phrase wild and woolly)

n, pl woollies or sometimes US woolies

6. (Clothing & Fashion) (often plural) a garment, such as a sweater, made of wool or something similar

7. (Animals) (usually plural) Western US and Austral an informal word for sheep

ˈwoollily adv

ˈwoolliness, ˈwooliness n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

wool•ly

or wool•y

(ˈwʊl i)

adj. wool•li•er or wool•i•er, wool•li•est or wool•i•est, adj.

1. consisting of or resembling wool: a woolly fleece; woolly hair.

2. clothed or covered with wool or something like it.

3. like the rough, vigorous atmosphere of the early West in the U.S.: wild and woolly.

4. fuzzy; unclear; disorganized.

5. Western U.S. a wool-bearing animal; sheep.

6. Also, wool′ie. Usu., woollies or woolies. a woolen garment, esp. a knitted undergarment.

[1580–90]

wool′li•ness, n.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Adj.	1.	woolly - having a fluffy character or appearance flocculent, wooly soft - yielding readily to pressure or weight
	2.	woolly - confused and vague; used especially of thinking; "muddleheaded ideas"; "your addled little brain"; "woolly thinking"; "woolly-headed ideas" muddled, woolly-headed, wooly-minded, wooly, muzzy, addled, befuddled confused - mentally confused; unable to think with clarity or act intelligently; "the flood of questions left her bewildered and confused"
	3.	woolly - covered with dense often matted or curly hairs; "woolly lambs" woolly-haired, wooly-haired, wooly haired, hairy, hirsute - having or covered with hair; "Jacob was a hairy man"; "a hairy caterpillar"
	4.	woolly - covered with dense cottony hairs or hairlike filaments; "the woolly aphid has a lanate coat resembling cotton" lanate haired, hairy, hirsute - having or covered with hair; "Jacob was a hairy man"; "a hairy caterpillar"

woolly

U.S. (sometimes) wooly

adjective

1. woollen, fleecy, made of wool She wore a woolly hat with pompoms.

2. vague, confused, clouded, blurred, unclear, muddled, fuzzy, indefinite, hazy, foggy, nebulous, ill-defined, indistinct It is no good setting vague, woolly goals - we need a specific aim.
vague clear, obvious, sharp, exact, precise, distinct, definite, clear-cut, well-defined

3. downy, hairy, shaggy, flocculent The plant has silvery, woolly leaves.

noun

1. sweater, jersey, jumper, pullover Bring a woolly - it can get cold here at night.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

woolly

adjective

Covered with hair:

fleecy, furry, fuzzy, hairy, hirsute, pilose.

Translations

ثَوب حِياكَة صوفِيَّهصوفيمُشَوَّش التَّفْكير

svagulden

unklar wollen

gyapjúholmi

óskÿr, ruglingslegurullar fötullar-, úr ull

confuso lanoso lanuto

ull-ullplagg

vlnený úplet

volnast

kafası dağınıkyün gibiyünden yapılmışyünlüyünlü giyim eşyası/çamaşır

毛线衣糊涂的羊毛状的

woolly

wooly (US) [ˈwʊlɪ]

A. ADJ (woollier (compar) (woolliest (superl)))

1. [jumper etc] → de lana; [animal] → lanudo

2. (= vague) [ideas, thinking, essay] → vago, impreciso; [person] → confuso

B. N

1. (= sweater) → jersey m de lana

2. woollies woolies (US) (= clothing) → ropa f de lana

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

woolly

[ˈwʊli] (British) wooly (US) adj

[hat, socks, jumper] → en laine woolly mammoth

(fig) (= vague) [ideas] → vaseux/euse; [thinking, person] → vaseux/eusewoolly mammoth n → mammouth m laineux

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

woolly

, (US) wooly

adj (+er)

→ wollig; (= soft also) → flauschig; woolly mammoth (Zool) → Kältesteppenmammut m

(fig) outline → verschwommen; (pej) mind, thinking, idea → verworren, wirr; woolly thoughts → wirre Gedanken pl; a woolly liberal → ein sentimentaler Liberaler, eine sentimentale Liberale

n (inf: = sweater etc) → Pulli m (inf); winter woollies (esp Brit: = sweaters etc) → dicke Wollsachen pl (inf); (esp US: = underwear) → Wollene pl (inf)

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

woolly

wooly (Am) [ˈwʊlɪ]

1. adj (-ier (comp) (-iest (superl))) (jumper) → di lana (fig) (clouds) → come batuffoli; (ideas) → confuso/a, vago/a; (essay, book) → sul vago

2. n (fam) → indumento di lana

wool

(wul) noun, adjective

(of) the soft hair of sheep and some other animals, often made into yarn etc for knitting or into fabric for making clothes etc. I wear wool in winter; knitting-wool; a wool blanket.

ˈwoollen adjective

made of wool. a woollen hat.

ˈwoollens noun plural

clothes (especially jumpers etc) made of wool. Woollens should be washed by hand.

ˈwoolly adjective

1. made of, or like, wool. a woolly jumper/rug.

2. (also ˌwoolly-ˈheaded) (of a person) vague or hazy. She's too woolly(-headed) to be in charge of a department.

noun – plural ˈwoollies –

a knitted garment.

ˈwoolliness noun

pull the wool over someone's eyes

to deceive someone.

References in periodicals archive ?

So, in fact, it is not at all clear in this book whether Waldron's aim is actually to support the enactment of some variety or other of hate speech laws, even in the United States, or whether it is something much woolier and more in the nature of a Harvard Law School seminar discussion, with Waldron pointing out that much more can be said on the other side of the argument than most others suppose, or maybe just plain out playing Devil's advocate.

The Harm in Hate Speech

Of course there are no railings out in the wilds, it is really wilder and woolier than one thinks.

"Strong, and wild, and green": Ethel Augur's western adventure, 1911-1914

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