woody

woody — adjective

1. describing a flavour or smell that reminds you of wood, especially noticed in so

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

describing a flavour or smell that reminds you of wood, especially noticed in some wines, spirits, cheeses, or natural places

Example

Salma noticed a woody smell in the old cabin where her grandfather kept his tools.

collocation: woody smell / woody scent / woody flavour

This red wine has a woody flavour from spending two years in oak barrels.

collocation: woody flavour for wine and spirits

Common collocations
  • woody aroma
  • woody scent
  • woody flavour
  • woody smell
  • woody notes
  • woody undertones
Synonyms
  • oaky

    specifically describes the flavour of wine or whiskey aged in oak barrels; narrower than 'woody'

  • earthy

    describes a similar natural smell or taste, but suggests soil or vegetation rather than wood

  • resinous

    describes a strong, sticky smell of tree resin; more intense and specific than 'woody'

Grammar Patterns

woody + noun (smell, flavour, aroma, scent)

Usage Note

Commonly used to describe wines aged in oak barrels, whiskey, or natural aromas like pine and cedar. Can refer to either taste or smell.

Common Mistakes

This oak table has a woody taste.
This wine has a woody taste.
'woody' for flavour applies to consumable items or smells, not to solid wooden objects that you do not eat or drink.

2. (of a plant) having a stem that is made of hard, fibrous tissue rather than soft

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

(of a plant) having a stem that is made of hard, fibrous tissue rather than soft, green material; growing stems that do not die back each season

Example

Roses are woody plants, so you should prune them in early spring.

collocation: woody plant / woody stem / woody shrub

The woody stems of rosemary can survive a dry summer without extra water.

Common collocations
  • woody plant
  • woody stem
  • woody shrub
  • woody vine
  • woody perennial
  • woody species
Synonyms
  • ligneous

    a formal, technical synonym used mainly in botany; much less common than 'woody'

  • hard-stemmed

    a descriptive compound word, less natural than 'woody' for plant classifications

Antonyms
  • herbaceous

    describes plants with soft, green stems that are not woody

Grammar Patterns

woody + noun (plant, stem, shrub, vine, perennial)

Usage Note

Common in gardening and botany. The opposite of 'woody' is 'herbaceous' (plants with soft, green stems that often die back in winter).

Common Mistakes

Woody plants like grass need very little water.
Woody plants like rose bushes need pruning each year.
Grass stems are soft and green (herbaceous), not hard and wood-like.

3. (of a piece of land) covered with many trees, giving it a natural, forest-like c

3.adjectiveB2
Definition

(of a piece of land) covered with many trees, giving it a natural, forest-like character

Example

Leo went hiking in a woody area near the river where deer often appear.

collocation: woody area / woody hills / woody land

The woody hills behind the village are home to many kinds of birds.

Common collocations
  • woody area
  • woody hills
  • woody land
  • woody lot
  • woody terrain
  • woody valley
Synonyms
  • wooded

    more common than 'woody' for describing land with trees; 'a wooded valley' is standard

  • forested

    suggests a larger, denser area of trees, often a formal forest

  • shady

    describes a place with tree cover providing shade; focuses on the effect rather than the trees themselves

Antonyms
  • treeless

    having no trees at all

  • barren

    empty of vegetation, including trees

Grammar Patterns

woody + noun (area, hills, land, lot, terrain)

Usage Note

Similar in meaning to 'wooded', but less common. 'Wooded' is the more frequent choice in everyday English for describing a landscape with trees.

Common Mistakes

The woody table is in the dining room.
The woody area behind the school is great for nature walks.
'woody' describes land covered with trees, not objects made of wood.

woody — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/2

In botany and gardening, 'woody' describes plants whose stems contain hard, fibrous tissue that persists year after year — think of rose bushes, oak trees, or lavender shrubs. The opposite is 'herbaceous', used for plants with soft, green stems that typically die back to the ground in winter, such as tulips, tomatoes, or basil. 'Ligneous' is a highly formal synonym for 'woody' that you might encounter in scientific texts (e.g., 'ligneous tissue'), but it sounds unnatural in everyday gardening advice. 'Hard-stemmed' is a descriptive compound that gardeners occasionally use, though it is less precise because many non-woody plants also have firm stems. For example, you would say 'roses are woody plants that need annual pruning', not 'roses are hard-stemmed plants'. If you are describing a plant's winter survival, 'woody' tells the reader that the stems will live through the cold season, whereas 'herbaceous' warns that the top growth will die and regrow from the roots.

woody ↗herbaceousligneoushard-stemmed

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'woody' comes from Old English 'wōdiġ', which was formed from 'wōd' (meaning 'wood') plus the adjective suffix '-iġ' (the ancestor of modern '-y'). So 'woody' originally meant 'like wood' or 'covered in trees'. It has been used since before the year 1000, first appearing in Old English texts to describe landscapes, and later expanding to describe tastes, smells, and plant types.