Silvery Meaning
/ˈsɪlvəɹi/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjResembling silver in color, shiny white.
adjSprinkled or covered with silver.
Sentence Examples
He had a lot of straight, silvery hair.
Actinium is a silvery metal.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The moonlight made the lake look calm and ____, reflecting a bright glow.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The moonlight gave the lake a ____ glow that looked magical in the dark.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English silvery, sylvyry; equivalent to silver + -y.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"OF all th' enamell'd race, whose silvery wing / Waves to the tepid zephyrs of the spring."
— 1728, [Alexander Pope], “(please specify the page)”, in The Dunciad. An Heroic Poem. […], Dublin; London: […] A. Dodd, →OCLC:
"Nothing was to be seen save flat meadows, cows feeding unconcernedly for the most part, and silvery pollard willows motionless in the warm sunlight."
— 1898, H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds, London: William Heinemann, page 98:
"A silvery cloud drifted over the mountains that surrounded him, its edges glowing with ruddy light cast from the harvest moon cradled between two peaks."
— 2003, Christopher Paolini, “Discovery”, in Eragon, page 6:
"Manganism has been known about since the 19th century, when miners exposed to ores containing manganese, a silvery metal, began to totter, slur their speech and behave like someone inebriated."
— 2014 April 21, “Subtle effects”, in The Economist, volume 411, number 8884:
"But inside the aquarium, riotously colored saltwater fish, schools of silvery piranhas, and even one seemingly communicative manta ray allow visitors to dream of worlds beyond a war that has made the land where the oceanic sanctuary sits a battle zone."
— 2025 December 22, Howard LaFranchi, “Near Ukraine’s front line, aquarium offers refuge for kids and soldiers alike”, in The Christian Science Monitor:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The moonlight made the lake look calm and ____, reflecting a bright glow.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The moonlight gave the lake a ____ glow that looked magical in the dark.