What does splintery mean?
Splintery is an adjective for wood, surfaces, or other materials that contain many sharp fragments or are prone to breaking into small, pointed pieces. The word is especially associated with aged or damaged timber, whose rough surface can splinter easily and cause minor injuries. It is more descriptive and nuanced than simply saying that something is “rough”: splintery points specifically to the presence or risk of narrow, sharp pieces. In a sentence, the material itself may be called splintery, as in “the old bench was dry and splintery,” or the condition may be described more explicitly as having a “splintery edge.” Although not everyday vocabulary, splintery is useful when distinguishing a merely weathered surface from one that is physically breaking apart in a hazardous way. Its wording carries a practical implication of sharpness and possible injury, not merely an unattractive texture.
Full of splinters or small sharp fragments.
"He brushed against a splintery fence post."
Commonly used of wood and other hard materials.
Likely to split or break into sharp fragments.
"The aging boards had become splintery."
This sense implies a tendency to splinter rather than an existing condition.
Splintery is the word for wood or another material that looks solid until a sharp, splinter-like flaw makes its danger clear.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does splintery come from?
Splintery is derived from splinter, which comes from an Old English word associated with splitting or breaking into pieces. The suffix -y added to the noun forms an adjective meaning “characterized by splinters” or “liable to splinter.” The word shares its origin with splinter and the related forms splintered and splintering.
How splintery is actually used
Splintery is a relatively uncommon descriptive adjective. It is especially natural with wood, surfaces, or materials that visibly contain sharp fragments, and it may imply either an abundance of splinters or a tendency to splinter.
Easily confused with splintery
Splintery describes something that is full of splinters or tends to break into them, whereas splintered describes something that has already broken or cracked into splinters.