What does clammy mean?
"Clammy" is an adjective used to describe something unpleasantly damp, cold, and slightly sticky — most often human skin, especially when it has gone pale and moist with fear, illness, or shock. A patient might have a "clammy forehead," or someone awaiting bad news might feel their "clammy palms" pressed against their knees. By extension, it can describe air or weather that feels oppressively humid and close. The word carries an unmistakably negative connotation: unlike neutral terms such as "damp" or "moist," clammy always suggests discomfort or unease, which is why it appears so frequently in medical descriptions, thrillers, and accounts of anxiety. It derives from an older sense of the verb "clam," meaning to smear with clay or mud — a fitting origin for a word that evokes the clinging, unwelcome sensation of moisture on skin. Its derivatives include the adverb "clammily" and the noun "clamminess."
Unpleasantly damp and sticky, typically cold to the touch; said especially of skin moistened by sweat, fear, or illness.
"He woke from the nightmare with a clammy brow and racing heart."
Frequently used in medical contexts to describe the skin of patients in shock or distress.
(Of air or weather) oppressively humid, close, and heavy with moisture.
"It was a clammy August afternoon, with not a breath of wind."
That word for nervous sweaty palms — clammy — comes from an old English verb 'clam' meaning to smear or stick with mud.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of clammy
"Clammy" originates from the Middle English verb "clam," meaning to smear or cover with something sticky such as clay or mud, which itself traces back to Old English "clǣman." The adjective developed in English by the late sixteenth or early seventeenth century, retaining the idea of a clinging, sticky wetness. It is related etymologically to "clay," sharing a Germanic root associated with sticky earth.
Related word forms
How clammy is actually used
Clammy is informal to neutral in register. It carries a distinctly negative connotation — it is never used approvingly of dampness — and most commonly describes skin affected by fear, illness, or exertion.
Easily confused with clammy
Clamorous means loud and insistent in demanding attention, while clammy describes a cold, damp stickiness.
A clam is a type of shellfish; clammy is the adjective describing something unpleasantly damp and sticky.