What does woolly mean?
Woolly is an adjective describing something made of, covered with, or resembling wool, as in a woolly jumper, hat, or teddy bear. It also has an important figurative meaning: a woolly idea, argument, or account is vague, indistinct, or insufficiently precise. In informal contexts, a woolly can refer to an old-fashioned or ineffectual person. The word is common in British English and is also used in American English, where the spelling wooly is particularly frequent. Although its literal associations are warm, soft, and domestic, its figurative use can carry a note of criticism. It is especially useful for describing language that sounds plausible but fails to define its ideas clearly.
Made of, covered with, or resembling wool; vague, indistinct, or confused.
"The committee produced a woolly report with no clear recommendations."
A woolen garment, especially a sweater; informally, an old-fashioned or ineffectual person.
"He pulled on his old woolly and went outside."
As a noun, woolly is especially common in British English and is often informal.
The plural form woollies is used for woolen garments, especially sweaters, and informally for people regarded as old-fashioned or ineffectual.
"The children wore thick woollies in the snow."
The familiar woolly bear borrows the same soft, fuzzy image, but the adjective also has a sharper figurative edge: it can describe a thought that has lost its clarity.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does woolly come from?
Woolly derives from wool, which comes from Old English wull and developed into the modern English form through Middle English. The suffix -y was added to form an adjective meaning “consisting of or resembling wool,” while related forms such as woolen and woollen use the same wool base. The word was also extended figuratively to describe thoughts and language that were indistinct or muddled.
Related word forms
How woolly is actually used
The spelling woolly is especially common in British English, while wooly is also standard, particularly in American English. In figurative use, woolly often has a mildly critical or dismissive tone, suggesting that an idea or argument lacks precision.
Easily confused with woolly
Wooly is an established spelling variant of woolly, especially common in American English, and does not have a separate meaning.