What does wintery mean?
Wintery is an adjective describing conditions, landscapes, or atmospheres associated with winter. Its literal meaning covers cold, frosty, snowy, or icy qualities, as in wintery winds or a wintery landscape. It can also have a figurative sense: a person, place, artistic work, or emotional atmosphere may be called wintery when it feels bleak, austere, unwelcoming, or lacking warmth. Wintery is a valid but less common spelling variant of wintry, which is the more usual form in both British and American English. The word is especially natural in descriptive writing, where it evokes the severity and subdued atmosphere of the season. Although its ending might suggest a noun or verb in some contexts, wintery is solely an adjective. It is useful when an author wants not merely to mention winter but to convey coldness, desolation, or emotional reserve.
adjectiveCharacterized by or suggestive of winter; cold, wintry, or bleak.
- Cold or snowy in a way typical of winter.
- Bleak, austere, or lacking warmth and vitality.
"Cold winds swept across the wintery landscape."
"The lake had frozen into a broad, wintery sheet of ice."
"Her review described the novel as wintery and emotionally austere."
Wintery is the less-travelled twin of wintry: a familiar winter word wearing an extra syllable.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of wintery
Wintery is an English formation built from winter and the adjectival suffix -y. It is a less common spelling variant of wintry, another adjective derived from the same Old English root. Related English forms include winterly, all expressing the idea of being associated with or resembling winter.
Related word forms
How wintery is actually used
Wintery is less frequent than wintry and often appears in descriptive or literary prose. Its figurative use can suggest emotional coldness, bleakness, or austerity rather than merely cold weather.
Easily confused with wintery
Wintery is a less common spelling variant of wintry; both adjectives have the same basic meanings.