Velvety Meaning
/ˈvɛlvəti/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjLike velvet; soft, smooth, soothing.
Sentence Examples
Corduroy is a thick cotton fabric with velvety ribs.
Velvet worms get their name thanks to their soft, velvety skin.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ feel of the rose petals reminded her of the rich, soft cloth she loved.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The skin of the peach was ____ and soft, and the fruit was very sweet and delicious to eat today.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree English velvet English -y English velvety From velvet + -y.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"In August, the large masses of berries, which, when in flower, had attracted many wild bees, gradually assumed their bright velvety crimson hue, and by their weight again bent down and broke the tender limbs."
— 1854 August 9, Henry D[avid] Thoreau, “Sounds”, in Walden; or, Life in the Woods, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and Fields, →OCLC, pages 124–125:
""The humble dung-beetle was at least a fact. All this psychic stuff is not." "No doubt you have good grounds for your views," chirped the mischievous Millworthy, a mild youth with a velvety manner."
— 1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019:
"Through the velvety wind V-winged / To the nest's nook I balance and buoy / With a sweet joy of a sweet joy, / Sweet, of a sweet, of a sweet joy / Of a sweet—a sweet—sweet—joy."
— 1918, Gerard Manley Hopkins, “The Woodlark”, in Robert Bridges, editor, Poems of Gerard Manley Hopkins: Now First Published […], London: Humphrey Milford, →OCLC, page 85:
"As he came down the huge velvety paws caught him as gently as a mother’s arms and set him (right way up, too) on the ground."
— 1951, C. S. Lewis, chapter 11, in Prince Caspian, Collins, published 1998:
"By now it was dark, velvety dark with a moon, a darkness pinpricked by the lights from the landing place now drawing rapidly closer."
— 1966, James Workman, The Mad Emperor, Melbourne, Sydney: Scripts, page 144:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ feel of the rose petals reminded her of the rich, soft cloth she loved.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The skin of the peach was ____ and soft, and the fruit was very sweet and delicious to eat today.