frilly

English

Etymology

From frill +‎ -y.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfɹɪli/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪli

Adjective

frilly (comparative frillier, superlative frilliest)

1. Having frills; frilled.
   • 1986, John le Carré, A Perfect Spy:

     In scented, frilly boutiques that she seemed to find by instinct, they exchanged her battered wardrobe for fur capes and Anna Karenina riding boots that slithered on the frosty cobble, and Pym's dismal school habit for a leather jacket and trousers without buttons for his braces.

   • 2006 March 7, Christian Burch, The Manny Files, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 140:

     Ms. Grant was dressed up as Little Bo Peep and had on a huge, frilly skirt that was held out with a hoop at the bottom.

   • 2012 November 6, Nora Roberts, The Perfect Hope, Penguin, →ISBN, page 83:

     The one she showed me has this frilly white skirt with blue bows on it.

2. Over-elaborate or showy in character or appearance.

Derived terms

• frilly lizard

Translations

having frills

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 有褶边的

• Finnish: röyhelöinen
• French: crêpé (fr), frisé (fr)
• German: gerüscht