Meaning & use
busty
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Meaning
adjectivecomparableinformal
Having a large chest, said of a woman; the word comments on her body and can sound crude or intrusive.
Grammar: Appears before a noun or after a linking verb: a busty actress, she is busty.
The costume designer needed a pattern for busty figures.
Reviewers criticized the advertisement for its focus on busty models.
Clothing sites often list a busty fit as a separate size option.
Word forms
| comparative | bustier |
|---|---|
| superlative | bustiest |
Common combinations
- busty figure
- The dress was cut to suit a busty figure.
- busty model
- The magazine was criticized for using only busty models.
- busty fit
- The shop sells a busty fit for shirts.
- busty character
- The cartoon had a busty character in the lead role.
Synonyms and how they differ
- full-figured
- Full-figured is more polite and describes a larger build overall, not only the chest.
- curvy
- Curvy is softer and describes the whole body shape rather than singling out one feature.
- well-endowed
- Well-endowed is a humorous, indirect phrase and can sound teasing or crude.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: busty or bustling?
busty vs bustling
Bustling means full of busy activity, as in a bustling market, and has nothing to do with body shape.
Practice
Which is the best reason to avoid calling a colleague busty in an email?
Choose one answer.
Busty is an informal word that focuses on someone's body, so it is inappropriate in professional writing. The other reasons are not what makes the word unsuitable.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “busty”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.