curly

adjective

ˈkər-lē How to pronounce curly (audio)
curlier; curliest
Synonyms of curlynext
1
: tending to curl
also : having curls
curly hair
2
: having the grain composed of fibers that undulate without crossing and that often form alternating light and dark lines
curly maple
curliness noun

Synonyms of curly

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of curly in a Sentence

She has curly hair and blue eyes. The dog's tail is curly.
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.
Consider using a mousse for curly hair to keep your hair big. — Audrey Noble, InStyle, 2 July 2026 Bedlington terriers have a curly fur coat which looks like sheep wool. — Madeline Gunderson, USA Today, 2 July 2026 The long, curly ends she was once revered for were now chopped to her chin, while her bangs mingled over her brows. — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 2 July 2026 Her signature curly locks were down and perfectly coifed despite the intense heat the day brought. — Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 4 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for curly

Word History

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of curly was in 1598

Phrases Containing curly

Rhymes for curly

See All Rhymes for curly

Browse Nearby Words

curl up
curly
curly birch
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Curly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/curly. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

curly

adjective
ˈkər-lē How to pronounce curly (audio)
curlier; curliest
: tending to curl
also : having curls
curly hair
curliness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on curly

Nglish: Translation of curly for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

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

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

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
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
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All