What does woody mean?
Woody is an adjective describing something that contains, consists of, or is covered with wood or woody vegetation. It is commonly used for plants and plant tissues, as in “woody stems,” and for objects with a substantial wooden structure. The word can also describe a wood-like smell, flavor, or texture, particularly in wine and spirits, where “woody” may suggest notes of oak, bark, or cedar. In everyday use, a landscape may be called woody if it is densely covered with trees or shrubs. Although woody is sometimes confused with wordy, the two words have unrelated meanings: woody refers to wood, while wordy refers to writing or speech containing too many words. Woody is related etymologically to wood, wooden, woodland, and woodcraft, all of which preserve the same basic English root.
adjectiveCovered with, consisting of, or containing a substantial amount of wood. It can also mean having a wood-like texture, smell, or flavor, especially in descriptions of plants, materials, wine, or spirits.
- Having a substantial amount of wood, consisting of wood, or being covered with trees and woody vegetation.
- Having a wood-like texture, smell, or flavor, especially in descriptions of materials, wine, or spirits.
- Characterized by woody stems or tissues, especially in botanical descriptions of plants.
"The garden has several woody shrubs along the fence."
"The path wound through dense, woody undergrowth."
"The whisky had a distinctly woody aroma."
One small spelling change separates a place full of trees from a sentence full of words: woody versus wordy.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Words that share this root
Related word forms
How woody is actually used
Woody is generally neutral and widely used in British and American English. In botany, it describes persistent, lignified plant tissue; in tasting and sensory descriptions, it refers to characteristics associated with wood or bark.
Easily confused with woody
Woody relates to wood or something resembling wood, whereas wordy describes language that is excessive in words.