What does blubbery mean?
Blubbery is an informal adjective describing something soft, thick, and fleshy in the manner of blubber — the thick layer of fat beneath the skin of whales, seals, and other marine mammals. It is most often applied to animals, as in a seal's blubbery body, but it is also used of people, sometimes affectionately and sometimes insultingly, to suggest plumpness or flabbiness. A second, related sense describes a person who looks tearful or is given to blubbering — crying in an unrestrained, noisy way — so that someone might emerge from a sad film looking distinctly blubbery. The word derives from 'blubber,' which entered English in the Middle Ages and originally referred to fish entrails before settling on whale fat. Because it is colloquial and carries comic or mocking connotations, blubbery suits casual writing and speech rather than formal prose.
Soft, thick, and fleshy like blubber; excessively fatty.
"The elephant seal's blubbery bulk rippled as it moved across the beach."
Tearful or inclined to blubber; having a swollen, wet-eyed appearance from crying.
"She was still blubbery hours after the film ended."
This sense is closely tied to the verb 'blubber' and appears mainly in informal speech.
'Blubbery' does double duty — it can describe a walrus's insulating fat or your friend's red-eyed, sobbing face after a sad movie.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of blubbery
Blubbery is formed from the noun 'blubber' plus the adjectival suffix '-y'. 'Blubber' entered English by the late Middle Ages, originally meaning fish entrails or scraps, and by the sixteenth century had come to mean the thick fat of whales and other marine mammals, a sense central to the whaling industry. The verb 'to blubber', meaning to weep noisily, developed from the notion of swollen, bubbling lips and cheeks during crying. The adjective thus carries both the fatty and the weeping senses of its root.
How blubbery is actually used
Informal and often humorous or mildly derisive in tone. When applied to people, it can sound insulting if describing body shape, so it is best reserved for animals or self-deprecating contexts.
Easily confused with blubbery
'Blubbering' is the act of crying noisily (the verb form of 'blubber'), while 'blubbery' describes something soft and fat like blubber, though it can also describe a tearful person.