ashy

adjective

ˈa-shē 

ashier; ashiest

1

: covered with or containing ashes

ashy smoke

ashy residue

ashy soil

the ashy remains of the burned building

… the forest opened up into a giant burn scar, with the blackened skeletons of trees stretching down an ashy hillside.

—Morgan McFall-Johnsen

2

a

: suggestive of or resembling ashes (as in color)

ashy grays

an ashy smell/taste

She wore her hair down in long ashy blonde waves that reached her hips.

—Alyssa K. Davis

especially : very pale (as from fright or illness) : ashen

Symptoms that clinicians should advise their patients to look out for include slowed breathing and skin turning ashy or blue.

—Maya Yang

b

African American English : of or relating to the grayish or whitish appearance of very dry skin

—used especially to describe this condition in people with a skin pigmentation that is darker than what is typically considered white (see white entry 1 sense 2a)

Ashy skin is caused by a lack of moisture, which leaves your skin dehydrated. It can appear on essentially any part of your skin. It's also common for the skin on your arms, legs, and face to become dehydrated and ashy.

—Eleesha Lockett

Vaseline has long been a staple in Black medicine cabinets, healing everything from chapped lips to ashy elbows.

—Angela Johnson

Excessively cleaning my hands could result in dry, cracked skin, but I've been able to prevent them from becoming chapped and ashy with my arsenal of moisturizing hand creams and balms.

—Jennifer Ford

Synonyms

• ashen
• blanched
• cadaverous
• doughy
• livid
• lurid
• mealy
• pale
• paled
• pallid
• pasty
• peaked
• wan

Examples of ashy in a Sentence

paramedics knew she was in shock because she was ashy and shaking

Recent Examples on the Web

Luckily, the tears are broken up, but Sufia wipes her ashy hands all over everyone’s clothes. —Brian Moylan, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2024

Her roots are a darker shade than the mid-lengths and ends, evolving from a light ashy brunette at the root to a honey-blonde shade. —Kara Nesvig, Allure, 28 Oct. 2024

Another child reaches into the remnants and starts to taste an ashy piece of wood. —Jackie Mader, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Oct. 2024

There are an array of good ones on the market, just be sure to trim the wick to prevent an ashy imprint on your paintwork. —Hannah Coates, Vogue, 25 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

ashy

adjective

ˈash-ē 

ashier; ashiest

1

: of, relating to, or resembling ashes

2

: ashen sense 2