powdery

Imagine the feel of baby powder or the way flour rises into the air when you toss it. That is what this word describes. It refers to something that feels like very fine, dry particles. You might use it for light snow, dry makeup, or a surface covered with a soft dusty layer. Something does not have to be actual powder to be described this way; it just needs to have that same fine, dry texture. Dry soil or an old, dusty surface can also feel this way.

The word "powdery" evokes a sense of lightness, dryness, and very fine texture. It describes something that is made of powder, covered with powder, or feels like powder, which means a substance made of tiny loose particles. Think of confectioners' sugar falling through a sieve, flour on a countertop, or the light layer on a butterfly's wings.

Something does not have to be literally made of powder to be described as powdery, but it should have that same fine, loose, easily scattered quality. Powdery snow is not hard or icy; it is light and soft. A cosmetic product can also have a powdery texture, meaning it feels dry, light, and finely milled.

The term can also suggest dryness, age, or decay. An old wall, book, or piece of wood may seem powdery if it crumbles slightly and leaves a fine dust behind. The word is also common in the phrase "powdery mildew," a plant disease that leaves a pale, dusty coating on leaves and stems.

Whether it describes snow, makeup, soil, or mildew on a plant, "powdery" usually paints a picture of something fine, dry, light, and easy to scatter rather than something wet, solid, or firmly packed.