WordGarden.iowoody
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /wˈʊdi/
US
- /ˈwʊdi/
Meanings
Adjective
made of wood or resembling wood in hardness or texture
consisting of trees or shrubs, or having hard wood-forming stems
having a smell or flavor reminiscent of wood, especially in drinks or perfume
Noun
(slang)an erection
Beyond the definition
When something is described as "woody," it usually brings to mind wood, trees, and the natural feeling of a forest. A "woody" scent may smell like pine, cedar, or sandalwood. It can also describe a sound that is warm, dry, and solid, such as the tone of an acoustic guitar or the knock of wood against wood. In nature, it can describe plants with hard, wood-like stems, and in landscape writing, it can mean a place that is full of trees. Overall, the word suggests something natural, earthy, and closely tied to wood.
The word "woody" mainly connects to the physical and sensory qualities of wood. It can describe something that is made of wood, feels like wood, smells like wood, or has the character of a wooded place. A "woody" smell may remind you of pine, cedar, bark, sawdust, or dry forest air. In perfume, food, wine, and spirits, "woody" often refers to notes or flavors that come from wood itself or from aging in oak.
The word is also common in botany. A plant with a "woody" stem has a hard stem like a bush or tree, not a soft green stem. In descriptions of places, a "woody" area is one with many trees or thick growth. This use appears more often in literary or descriptive writing than in everyday speech, but it is standard English.
It is important to distinguish "woody" from "wooden." "Wooden" usually means made of wood, and it can also suggest stiffness or a lack of feeling. "Woody," by contrast, is more about the qualities associated with wood: a natural smell, a warm tone, a dry flavor note, or the hard structure of a plant. You might use it for a fragrance, a musical sound, a drink aged in oak, or a wooded hillside. In each case, the word carries the sense of something natural, earthy, and shaped by the character of wood.
Examples
- 1
Landscape
The cabin stood in a quiet, woody valley.
- 2
Flavor
The tea has a light, woody taste.
- 3
Plant growth
Rosemary gets woody if you do not trim it regularly.
- 4
Perfume
She likes perfumes with warm, woody notes.
- Phrasewoody notes
smells in a perfume that remind you of wood
See also
Forms and spellings
3 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- woodyadjective
Forms
- woodiercomparativeadjective
- woodiestsuperlativeadjective