Dictionary.com

Popular Searches

 Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

wispy

American  
[wis-pee] / ˈwɪs pi /
Or wispish

adjective

wispier, wispiest

  1. being a wisp or in wisps; wisplike.

    a wispy plant.
ˈwispy British  
/ ˈwɪspɪ /

adjective

  1. wisplike; delicate, faint, light, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • wispily adverb
  • wispiness noun

Etymology

Origin of wispy

First recorded in 1710–20; wisp + -y 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"You can't sculpt and cast something that is..." he paused, trying to find the right word, "wispy."

From Barron's

We didn’t have a Christmas tree, but we’d made paper chains in school, and Ma dug out our wispy old tinsel garlands.

From Literature

Boo is three and has pink cheeks and wispy curls that stick up all over the place.

From Literature

Maybe it’s her fine, wispy white-blond hair or her pale, almost translucent skin.

From Literature

I thought Alex was pretty cute in his light maroon jacket — the kind that’s perfect for those May gray evenings and one that highlighted his wispy blond hair.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.