What does windiest mean?
Windiest is the superlative form of the adjective windy. It describes the place, day, condition, or experience with the greatest amount or force of wind: a region may be described as the windiest part of a country, while a forecast may identify a particular day as the windiest of the week. The word is commonly used in weather reports, travel writing, geography, and descriptions of exposed coastal or mountainous locations. Unlike a simple intensifier, windiest makes a direct comparison among people, places, times, or conditions, implying that one has more wind than the others. It is neutral in register and is used in both British and American English. Although the related adverb windily and noun windiness can describe the manner or quality of being windy, windiest specifically identifies the most windy member of a group.
adjectiveWindiest is the superlative form of windy, meaning having the greatest amount or force of wind.
- Having the greatest amount or force of wind
"The coast was the windiest part of the island during the storm."
"We hiked to the windiest ridge in the hills."
"The forecast says Monday will be the windiest day of the week."
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of windiest
Windiest was formed in English by adding the superlative suffix -iest to windy, following the regular pattern in which adjectives ending in -y take -ier and -iest in the comparative and superlative. Windy itself developed from the Old English word wind, meaning moving air, together with the adjective-forming suffix -y. The same native Germanic root appears in compounds such as windmill, whirlwind, and windward.
Related word forms
How windiest is actually used
Windiest is a standard superlative adjective and is appropriate in formal and informal contexts. It usually takes the definite article when referring to a uniquely identified location or time.