woolly
woolly — adjective
1. produced from real wool fibres, or made from a different soft material that rese
produced from real wool fibres, or made from a different soft material that resembles wool in texture and look
Iris wore a soft woolly scarf that her grandmother had knitted for her.
collocation: woolly scarf / woolly hat / woolly gloves
The baby's new coat is made of a warm woolly fabric that feels very soft.
Élise bought a pair of woolly gloves for the winter trip to Canada.
Kemi chose a woolly jumper with a thick pattern of red and gold stripes.
The cushion cover looks woolly, but it is actually made from synthetic fibres.
用法筆記
Also spelled 'wooly'. In British English, 'woollen' means 'made of real wool'; 'woolly' can describe either real wool or any material that looks or feels like wool.
常見錯誤
2. not clear, precise, or well-organised — used when describing someone's thoughts,
not clear, precise, or well-organised — used when describing someone's thoughts, arguments, or writing that lack logic or careful reasoning
Tamar's essay was full of woolly arguments that did not really prove anything.
woolly arguments / woolly thinking — describes unclear ideas
The politician gave a woolly answer that avoided the real question about taxes.
After four hours of debate, Feng's thinking had become completely woolly.
Heloísa tried to explain her plan, but the details were too woolly to follow.
用法筆記
Describes the ideas themselves, not a person's state of mind. You can say 'that argument is woolly' but not 'I feel woolly today'.
常見錯誤
woolly — noun
1. an upper-body garment knitted from wool, such as a jumper or cardigan, worn to k
an upper-body garment knitted from wool, such as a jumper or cardigan, worn to keep warm
Trang pulled on a warm woolly and sat by the fireplace with tea.
British usage: 'a woolly' = a woollen jumper or cardigan
The children put on their thick woollies before going out to build a snowman.
Cyrus packed three woollies for the hiking trip through the Scottish mountains.
Grandma knitted each grandchild a woolly to wear during the cold winter months.
Ritu's favourite woolly is a bright blue jumper that her sister gave her for Christmas.
用法筆記
Commonly used in the plural ('woollies') when talking about several items or a collection of woollen clothing. In the singular ('a woolly'), it usually means a jumper or pullover.
2. [plural] warm underwear made of wool, typically a one-piece suit with long sleev
[plural] warm underwear made of wool, typically a one-piece suit with long sleeves and long legs, worn in very cold weather to keep the body warm
Christopher put on his woollies before heading out into the freezing morning fog.
British: 'woollies' = long thermal underwear
The mountaineers wore thermal woollies under their waterproof jackets on the climb.
In Britain, many older people wear a set of woollies under their clothes in winter.
Harper bought a thick pair of woollies for the ski trip to the Swiss Alps.
- thermal underwear
broader term; can be made of materials other than wool
- long johns
informal term for long underwear; more common in American English
- thermals
short informal term for thermal underwear
用法筆記
Always used in the plural. A single item is referred to as 'a pair of woollies' or 'woolly underwear'. Less common in American English, where 'long underwear' or 'thermal underwear' is preferred.