Word
groovy
US/ˈɡɹuvi/
UK/ɡɹˈuːvi/
Definition
adj. fashionable, exciting, or having a great musical rhythm. People used this a lot in the 1960s and 70s to say something was cool.
adj. fashionable, attractive, or excellent; characterized by a strong musical rhythm. Informal and dated in register, primarily associated with the counterculture of the 1960s.
Examples
“That new record has a really groovy beat.”
“The vintage shop was filled with groovy furniture and bright posters from the seventies.”
Examples
simple
“That new record has a really groovy beat.”
contextual
“The vintage shop was filled with groovy furniture and bright posters from the seventies.”
Usage
Typically used as a gradable adjective; often appears in informal or retro contexts.
Real-World Examples
“People have been put in brain scanners while listening to groovy music and areas in their basal ganglia, which control motor activity and reward, lit up.” “The setting is modern-day Portland, Oregon, a groovy city whose hipster-ish stores (there’s a coffee shop actually called Dripster) and Woke 1.0 signage are affectionately mocked.” “They were like artistic renderings of an acid trip and were, in the vernacular of the time, really groovy.” “Mr Blob’s spectacular wobbles are quintessential of a Sixties moment and its everyday aesthetic of the groovy, which once salvaged from post-modernist irony can be said to function at the complex intersection of black jazz and second order cybernetics, space age kitsch and trippy post-capitalist desires.” Etymology
From groove + -y.
From the phrase in the groove, originally in reference to the grooves of an early phonograph record.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
- アルファベット
- 読み方の一覧 →
QR code
englishreference.com/q/groovy