What does gauzy mean?
Gauzy is an adjective meaning thin, sheer, and semitransparent, like gauze, the fine fabric used for veils and bandages. Its most familiar use is physical: a gauzy curtain, veil, scarf, or layer of fabric appears light, delicate, and partly transparent. The word also has a figurative sense. Writers may call an idea, memory, atmosphere, or artistic effect gauzy when it is hazy, elusive, dreamy, or lacking firm definition. In this use, gauzy carries a mildly poetic or literary tone and can suggest softness, romance, mystery, or insubstantiality. It is more evocative than plain words such as thin or vague, so it is especially effective in fashion descriptions, creative prose, and criticism. Though often associated with transparent material, gauzy does not necessarily mean invisible; the adjective focuses on a delicate, gauze-like quality. It is standard in both British and American English, and its pronunciation varies by accent, with the vowel generally sounding like “go” in American English.
adjectiveThin, sheer, and semitransparent, like gauze. In figurative use, it describes something delicate, indistinct, dreamlike, or lacking firm definition.
- Thin, sheer, and semitransparent, like gauze.
- Delicate, elusive, dreamlike, or insubstantial, especially as an atmosphere, impression, or effect.
"A gauzy curtain stirred in the warm breeze, softening the view of the garden."
"She wore a gauzy scarf that fluttered around her shoulders."
"The novel's gauzy imagery gives the remembered summer a dreamlike unreality."
From fabric to atmosphere, gauzy is a perfect way to make a scene feel delicate, hazy, and dreamlike.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does gauzy come from?
The adjective gauzy was formed in English in the early nineteenth century by adding the suffix -y to gauze, a word borrowed from French in the sixteenth century. Gauze came through French gaze from Spanish gase, with its ultimate origin usually traced to Arabic. The older variant gazy also circulated, while gazed is an inflected form of the verb gauze.
How gauzy is actually used
The figurative sense is more literary and often suggests delicacy, romance, mystery, haze, or lack of substance. The listed rhymes are exact in American pronunciation; British and American vowels differ.
Easily confused with gauzy
A gaze is a long, fixed look, whereas something gauzy is thin, sheer, or delicately indistinct.