Word
watery
Phoneticswa·tery
US/ˈwɔtɝi/
UK/wˈɔːtəɹi/
Definition
adj. containing too much water, or looking and tasting like water. You use this to describe food that is thin and weak, or eyes that are full of tears.
adj. containing or resembling water in appearance, consistency, or taste. Often describes liquids that have been diluted or eyes that are moist with emotion or illness.
Examples
“The soup is very watery and has no flavor.”
“After walking through the cold wind, her eyes became watery and her nose started to run.”
“The artist used a watery blue wash to suggest the morning mist, allowing the white of the paper to shine through the thin layers of pigment.”
Examples
simple
“The soup is very watery and has no flavor.”
contextual
“After walking through the cold wind, her eyes became watery and her nose started to run.”
complex
“The artist used a watery blue wash to suggest the morning mist, allowing the white of the paper to shine through the thin layers of pigment.”
Usage
Commonly used to describe food, colors, or physical symptoms like crying.
Etymology
From Middle English watery, wattry, from Old English wæteriġ (“watery”), from Proto-West Germanic *watarīg. Equivalent to water + -y.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Idioms
01. watery grave
- 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.B1 PreliminaryIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.4.0–5.0TOEFL 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: 3.0–3.544–71TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.550–784
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- B1 · Intermediate
- Updated
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