draughty

Imagine an old farmhouse with gaps around the windows and under the doors. That's draughty. It means a place feels uncomfortably cold because outside air keeps coming in through small openings. These are not soft summer breezes; they are cold, noticeable, and annoying. A draughty room is hard to make cozy because you keep feeling little streams of cold air. You might describe an old house, a hallway, or a badly sealed tent as draughty. The word often suggests poor insulation or doors and windows that do not close tightly.

"Draughty" (usually spelled drafty in American English) describes a place where cold air gets in through gaps, making the space feel uncomfortable. It is most often used for rooms, houses, hallways, tents, and other enclosed spaces that are not sealed well.

A draughty room is not just a little airy. It feels cold in a specific, unpleasant way because moving air keeps slipping in. Think of an old house with loose window frames, a gap under the front door, or small cracks in the walls. Even if the heating is on, the room may still feel chilly because the warm air does not stay in and the cold air does not stay out. You might say, "The attic was terribly draughty," if you could feel the cold air around you the whole time.

The word is especially common when talking about older buildings, but newer places can be draughty too if the seals around windows or doors are worn out or badly fitted. It usually refers to a building or part of a building, not to the weather itself. So a day can be windy or cold, but a room can be draughty. If a place makes you pull your coat tighter, move away from the window, or look for a blanket because of cold air sneaking in, draughty is probably the right word.