WordGarden.iowormy
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /wˈɜːmi/
US
- /wˈɜːmi/
Meanings
Adjective
infested with worms or containing worms
resembling a worm in shape or wriggling movement
sneaky, abject, or contemptibly weak in manner
Beyond the definition
The word "wormy" usually describes something that has worms in it or has been eaten through by them. You might use it for fruit, wood, or anything else marked by small holes and hidden damage. It often gives the feeling that something looked fine at first, but was spoiled from the inside.
At its core, "wormy" means full of worms or damaged by them. It is most often used for things like apples, other fruit, or wood that has been eaten into and left with small holes or tunnels. The word paints a vivid picture: something may look normal on the outside, but inside it has been spoiled or eaten away.
The word is mainly literal, but it can also be stretched a little in writing to suggest hidden damage, decay, or something unhealthy beneath the surface. Even then, the image stays the same: quiet harm working from the inside.
Because of that, "wormy" nearly always sounds negative. It suggests that something is spoiled, weakened, or unpleasant to discover. Whether you are talking about a wormy apple, wormy wood, or using the word more loosely for hidden damage, it carries the idea of something being eaten away from within.
Examples
- 1
Spoiled fruit
We threw the peaches away because they were already wormy.
- 2
Hidden damage
The apple looked fine on the outside, but it was wormy when I cut it open.
- 3
Damaged wood
Years of damp weather had left the old floorboards soft and wormy.
See also
Similar
- worm-eaten
- worm-infested
Shades of meaning
- maggoty
- worm-riddled
Contrast
- sound
- uninfested
Used with (collocations)
- wormy apples
- wormy fruit
- wormy wood
Word family
Explore
Forms and spellings
3 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- wormyadjective
Forms
- wormiercomparativeadjective
- wormiestsuperlativeadjective