bumpy

adjective

ˈbəm-pē How to pronounce bumpy (audio)
bumpier; bumpiest
Synonyms of bumpynext
1
: having or covered with bumps
2
a
: marked by bumps or jolts
b
: marked by or full of difficulties
bumpily
ˈbəm-pə-lē How to pronounce bumpy (audio)
adverb
bumpiness
ˈbəm-pē-nəs How to pronounce bumpy (audio)
noun

Synonyms of bumpy

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of bumpy in a Sentence

The road is very bumpy. the bumpy skin of a cucumber The flight was very bumpy. The road was rough so we had a bumpy ride.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The residential cruise ship Villa Vie Odyssey launched in late 2024, after a bumpy start and no shortage of drama. — Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026 Some of the movie’s most memorable moments have barely anything to do with the plot, like when Matt discovers his eyelids fusing together and attempts to separate them with nail scissors in the bathroom of a bumpy plane. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026 Our tester noticed smoother, less bumpy skin and softer-looking décolletage wrinkles after about 10 days. — Christa Joanna Lee, Glamour, 23 Oct. 2026 Goover says this will keep them locked in even on bumpy roads. — New Atlas, 23 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bumpy

Word History

First Known Use

1769, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bumpy was in 1769

Rhymes for bumpy

See All Rhymes for bumpy

Browse Nearby Words

bump up
bumpy
bumpy ash
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bumpy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bumpy. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

bumpy

adjective
ˈbəm-pē How to pronounce bumpy (audio)
bumpier; bumpiest
: marked by bumps or bumping
a bumpy ride
bumpy skin
bumpily
-pə-lē How to pronounce bumpy (audio)
adverb
bumpiness
-pē-nəs How to pronounce bumpy (audio)
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All