curly

curly — adjective

1. describes hair that grows in rings or tight waves, or an object made with a bent

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

describes hair that grows in rings or tight waves, or an object made with a bent or twisted round form

Example

Ravindra has thick, curly hair that reaches his shoulders.

collocation: curly hair + body part length

Curly ribbons on the gift made it look festive.

collocation: curly ribbons for decoration

Common collocations
  • curly hair
  • curly tail
  • curly ribbon
  • curly wire
  • curly pasta
  • naturally curly
  • tightly curly
Synonyms
  • wavy

    less tight than curly; hair that forms gentle S-shapes rather than rings

  • frizzy

    messy, uncontrolled curls that stick out; often negative

  • kinky

    very tight, small curls typical of some hair types; more specific than curly

  • curled

    refers to hair or objects shaped by an action (style or force), not a natural state

Antonyms
  • straight

    hair or objects without any bends, waves, or curls

  • flat

    especially for hair; completely straight with no volume or wave

Usage Note

Frequently used for hair; also describes objects with a naturally curved shape such as tails, ribbons, or wire. Many common expressions use curly only before nouns (curly hair, curly tail), but it can also appear after a linking verb (Her hair is naturally curly).

Common Mistakes

She has a curvy body.
She has a curly hairstyle.
'curvy' describes a woman's body shape with rounded curves, while 'curly' only describes hair or objects with tight twists or rings.
He curled hair naturally.
He has naturally curly hair.
'curled' is the past form of the verb ('someone curled it'), but 'curly' describes a natural state without styling.

Word family

  • curl
    nounB1
  • curl
    verbB1
  • curled
    adjectiveB1
  • curler
    nounB2
  • curling
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

While all four words describe non-straight hair, they differ noticeably in curl type and connotation. Wavy hair forms gentle S-shapes without tight rings and is often seen as the loosest form of curl. Frizzy hair has many fine, flyaway curls that lack definition and can look untidy; the word often carries a mildly negative tone. Kinky refers to very tight, small curls—common in descriptions of Afro-textured hair—and is a more specific term than curly. Curled (unlike curly) suggests the shape was produced by an external action: curling tongs, a perm, or wet wrapping. For everyday description of natural hair shape, curly is the broadest and most neutral choice. Compare: 'Anong has naturally curly hair that forms soft ringlets' versus 'The stylist curled Ife's hair with a hot iron.'

wavy ↗frizzykinkycurled

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • curly hair
  • curly tail
  • curly ribbon
  • naturally curly

Etymology

Middle DutchEnglish

Comes from the English word curl (first found in the 1500s, probably from Middle Dutch 'krul' meaning a twisted or bent shape) plus the suffix -y, which turns a noun into an adjective meaning 'full of' or 'having the quality of.' First known use in English: 1598.