What does "watery" mean?
Resembling or characteristic of water.
Watery
/ˈwɔːtəɹi/ adj
adj ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Resembling or characteristic of water.
- Grammar: watery is listed as adj.
- Nearest alternatives: weak, abstemious, airy, allergic tearing.
- Useful contrasts: lacteous, pulpy, resinous.
- Usage evidence: Back in the early 20th century, many thought that Venus was a watery world. Now in the 21st century, we know that Venus is like a big misty oven.
How to use "watery"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "watery" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "watery" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "watery" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "watery" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "watery" is acting as adj in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "weak" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "watery", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Adjective
- 1 Resembling or characteristic of water.
"The prop also gave a good watery sound to those early radio rainstorms."
- 2 Wet, soggy or soaked with water.
"European adventurers found themselves within a watery world, a tapestry of streams, channels, wetlands, lakes and lush riparian meadows enriched by floodwaters from the Mississippi River."
- 3 Diluted or having too much water.
- 4 Thin and pale therefore suggestive of water.
- 5 Weak and insipid.
"Genuine music is the offspring of profound emotion: of exaltation, pain, or joy. Music produced outside of a situation between these poles of the human heart is of banal character, bloodless, watery."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 Discharging water or similar substance as a result of disease etc.
"I took my cat to the vet because I was worried about his watery eyes."
- 7 Tearful.
- 8 Containing many bodies of water.
"The good stuff in High Tide is the visual loveliness, maybe too lovely for the supposedly depressed seaport of Eden, the film's southern Australia locale. High Tide is laden with luscious pastels, watery vistas and quirky, weather-beaten clam joints."
Adjective
- 1 overly diluted; thin and insipid wordnet
- 2 relating to or resembling or consisting of water wordnet
- 3 wet with secreted or exuded moisture such as sweat or tears wordnet
- 4 filled with water wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Back in the early 20th century, many thought that Venus was a watery world. Now in the 21st century, we know that Venus is like a big misty oven."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "watery"?
Common synonyms include: weak, abstemious, airy, allergic tearing, anemic, aqua.
How do you use "watery" in a sentence?
Back in the early 20th century, many thought that Venus was a watery world. Now in the 21st century, we know that Venus is like a big misty oven.
How do you pronounce "watery"?
Pronounced /ˈwɔːtəɹi/.
Etymology
From Middle English watery, wattry, from Old English wæteriġ (“watery”), from Proto-West Germanic *watarīg. Equivalent to water + -y.