What does blowy mean?
Blowy is an adjective describing conditions characterized by noticeable wind — a blowy day is one where gusts are frequent enough to affect everyday activity, from ruffling hair to scattering leaves or making umbrellas unreliable. It sits between 'breezy', which suggests a pleasant light wind, and 'gusty' or 'blustery', which imply more violent bursts; blowy typically conveys a brisk, unsettled atmosphere rather than a storm. The word is most at home in informal British English, where it is a common conversational shorthand for unpleasantly windy weather: 'It's a bit blowy out there.' Its figurative use to describe a woman with large breasts is dated, informal, and widely regarded as offensive today, so writers should avoid that sense entirely. Etymologically straightforward, it derives simply from the verb 'blow' with the adjectival suffix '-y'.
Marked by or exposed to strong wind; windy.
"We abandoned the picnic because the headland was far too blowy."
Informal register, especially common in British English.
(Informal, dated, potentially offensive.) Describing a woman with large breasts.
This sense is dated and generally considered offensive; avoid in modern writing.
Before weather apps, sailors and farmers simply called it how they felt it — a 'blowy' day meant batten down the hatches.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of blowy
Blowy is formed from the Old English-derived verb 'blow' (meaning to move air), combined with the common Germanic adjectival suffix '-y'. It emerged as a colloquial descriptor of windy weather, with recorded use dating back several centuries in English. It shares its root with related air- and breath-related words descended from the same Germanic stem, including 'blast' and 'bluster'.
Related word forms
How blowy is actually used
Primarily used in informal British English when describing weather. The informal sense referring to a woman's figure is dated and generally considered objectifying or offensive in modern usage.
Easily confused with blowy
'Bellow' is a verb meaning to shout loudly or a deep roaring sound, whereas 'blowy' describes windy conditions.
'Billowy' means swelling out like waves or billowing fabric, while 'blowy' refers to weather characterized by wind.