hairy

Meaning

1. Having a lot of hair on the body.
2. Having a lot of fur.
3. Having hair growing from it.
4. (informal) Difficult, complex, intricate, or intimidating.
5. (informal) Causing anxiety or fright; terrifying, scary.

Synonyms

shaggy

hirsute

furry

covered with hair

pilose

haired

woolly

fuzzy

bent

ruffled

shady

villose

villous

fluffy

hairy person

hair-raising

longhair

mole

out-of-date

pilar

plushy

puffy

ragged

scrubby

setaceous

stringy

unshaven

woollen

wooly

fine hair

in rags

with hair

spread all over

thickly haired

thickly bearded person

pileous

made of hair Pilose

ungroomed

broomy

pelurious

barbate

capillose

bearded

bristled

brushy

bum

bushes

chunky

crinite

crude

difficult

downy

fibrous

fleecy

frightening

hair

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈhɛə.ɹi/

Etymology

From Middle English hery, heeri, hary, equivalent to hair + -y. Compare Saterland Frisian hierich (“hairy”), West Frisian hierrich (“hairy”), Dutch harig (“hairy”), German Low German harig (“hairy”), German haarig (“hairy”), Swedish hårig (“hairy”), Icelandic hárugur (“hairy”). Compare also Old English hǣriht (“hairy”) and ġehǣre (“hairy”).
The sense "terrifying, scary" possibly results from a blend of hair-raising and scary.