1
as in shaggy
covered with or as if with hair
that gray, cottony spot on the bread is mold
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in silky
smooth or delicate in appearance or feel
fluffy, cottony hair
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cottony
An egg mass of the citrus mealybug looks like a small, white, cottony mass on the underside of a leaf.
—
Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Aug. 2024
There, the thickly forested ranges perched on a shelf of cottony clouds, offering a view of the mountaintop complex modeled after 16th century Vietnamese pagodas, including a 10-story belfry, a network of stone staircases and a giant seated Buddha.
—Patrick Scott, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2023
Ladybugs have also been introduced to the Galapagos to reduce cottony cushion scale and have been beneficial there as well.
—Susan Pransky, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Oct. 2023
Come springtime, a perimeter of blossoming dogwoods will enfold the clearing in a cottony veil.
—Curbed, 13 Nov. 2022
Buy medium eggplant that is not cottony or bruised.
—The View, ABC News, 14 Jan. 2022
Mealy bugs are distinguished by the white wax covering their body and egg sacs that give them a cottony appearance.
—oregonlive, 11 Nov. 2019
The white, cottony look is due to a waxy coating that conceals the insects and their egg masses.
—Tom MacCubbin, orlandosentinel.com, 29 June 2019
Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Aug. 2024
There, the thickly forested ranges perched on a shelf of cottony clouds, offering a view of the mountaintop complex modeled after 16th century Vietnamese pagodas, including a 10-story belfry, a network of stone staircases and a giant seated Buddha.
—Patrick Scott, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2023
Ladybugs have also been introduced to the Galapagos to reduce cottony cushion scale and have been beneficial there as well.
—Susan Pransky, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Oct. 2023
Come springtime, a perimeter of blossoming dogwoods will enfold the clearing in a cottony veil.
—Curbed, 13 Nov. 2022
Buy medium eggplant that is not cottony or bruised.
—The View, ABC News, 14 Jan. 2022
Mealy bugs are distinguished by the white wax covering their body and egg sacs that give them a cottony appearance.
—oregonlive, 11 Nov. 2019
The white, cottony look is due to a waxy coating that conceals the insects and their egg masses.
—Tom MacCubbin, orlandosentinel.com, 29 June 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cottony
Adjective
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Welles, a singer-songwriter with a shaggy, dirty-blond mane and a sandpapery voice, has risen to recent prominence posting videos to social media of himself alone in the woods near his home in northwest Arkansas, performing wryly funny, politically engaged folk songs.—
David Peisner,
New York Times,
12 Feb. 2025
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Average retail prices range from $215 to $495 for the line, which includes vibrant jackets with circular-type sleeves, miniskirts and a shaggy wool coat.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
WWD,
10 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Mattifying Primer $36 Sephora This Fenty primer has a transparent, silky texture that glides onto the skin and doesn’t leave a white cast—something that can’t be said about many other primers.—
Brigitt Earley,
Glamour,
27 Feb. 2025
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Squalane oil, glycerin and peptides reduce fine lines and improve skin texture while delivering silky hydration and boosting your nighttime skincare routine.—
Celia Shatzman,
Forbes,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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None of that hairy high school fake this, do what we're told.—
Jim Reineking,
USA TODAY,
25 Feb. 2025
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Common winter annual lawn weeds include hairy bittercress, various chickweeds, purple deadnettle and its cousin henbit, and Veronica/speedwell.—
Miri Talabac,
Baltimore Sun,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Pop a satin version on top of your usual night-out curls to make the 'do feel glamorous.—
Jasmine Washington,
Seventeen,
18 Jan. 2023
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From satin pillowcases to a hydrating moisturizer, all of these products are on sale for less than $25.—
Isabel Garcia,
Peoplemag,
13 Jan. 2023
Adjective
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Others are naked and seemingly unaware of the viewer, cigarettes in hand and gazes soft.—
Leah Asmelash,
CNN,
26 Feb. 2025
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As for the future, Leopold suggests that soft skills will play a major role.—
Ryan Johnston,
CNBC,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Its large, wall-size windows, their casements painted a downy shade of white, look out across Bedford Street onto a row of old and characterful brownstones, including number 75½, whose façade, at nine and a half feet across, is allegedly the city’s narrowest (and therefore most charming).—
Helen Rosner,
The New Yorker,
2 Feb. 2025
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Jackie has over 7,000 waterproof feathers on her body that help keep her dry and downy feathers that keep her warm, Steers previously said.—
Helena Wegner,
Sacramento Bee,
27 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cottony.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cottony. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
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