fatty

fatty — adjective

1. describing food or animal tissue that has a large amount of fat in it

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

describing food or animal tissue that has a large amount of fat in it

Example

The doctor told Mira to avoid eating too much fatty meat and fried foods.

collocation: fatty meat / fatty food

Salmon is a fatty fish, yet its oil is good for your heart.

contrastive: fatty but healthy

Common collocations
  • fatty food
  • fatty meat
  • fatty fish
  • fatty tissue
  • fatty acids
  • fatty deposits
Synonyms
  • oily

    emphasises surface coating or liquid grease rather than internal fat content

  • greasy

    more negative than 'fatty'; suggests unpleasantly slick or heavy food

  • rich

    broader term for heavy, indulgent food; can be positive or neutral

  • buttery

    describes smooth, creamy fat; usually positive, tied to butter specifically

Antonyms
  • lean

    opposite for meat with little fat

  • low-fat

    opposite for manufactured food products

Grammar Patterns

fatty + noun

be + fatty

Common Mistakes

I feel fatty after eating that pizza.
I feel full after eating that pizza.' or 'That pizza was very fatty.
Use 'fatty' to describe food, not a person's physical feeling of fullness.

fatty — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe food with a high fat content, but each carries a distinct focus. 'Oily' points to visible surface oil or liquid grease — think of a slice of pizza or fried spring roll. 'Greasy' adds a negative, almost tactile sense of unpleasant slickness; fast food is often described as greasy. 'Buttery' is the positive end of the spectrum, suggesting smooth, creamy fat associated with butter — croissants or mashed potatoes. 'Rich' is the broadest term, describing food that feels heavy or indulgent on the palate, like a chocolate mousse or creamy pasta. A dish can be both fatty and rich (e.g. a steak in cream sauce) but calling it 'greasy' would change the tone entirely. Learners should match the word to the texture and connotation they want to convey.

oily ↗greasy ↗butteryrich ↗

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

'Fatty' comes from the Old English word 'fǣtt' (meaning fat, fatted) combined with the English suffix '-y', which means 'having the quality of.' The adjective form has been used since at least the 1300s to describe food or animal tissue containing fat. The noun form — used as an insult toward a person — appeared in the 1800s and has always carried a mocking or contemptuous tone.