Meaning & use
clayey
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Meaning
adjectivecomparable
Containing a lot of clay; like clay in texture or behavior.
Grammar: Can be used before a noun (clayey soil) or after a linking verb (the ground is clayey). Comparative forms are rare but possible.
Patterns
- clayey soil
- clayey earth
- clayey ground
The garden did not drain well because the soil was too clayey.
Farmers in this region struggle with clayey earth that holds water after rain.
She added sand to the clayey ground to make it easier to dig.
Word forms
| comparative | clayier |
|---|---|
| superlative | clayiest |
Common combinations
- clayey soil
- Roses grow poorly in heavy clayey soil.
- clayey texture
- The potter liked the clayey texture of the riverbank mud.
- clayey subsoil
- Below the topsoil lies a dense, clayey subsoil.
- clayey consistency
- The mixture had a thick, clayey consistency.
Synonyms and how they differ
- argillaceous
- Argillaceous is a more technical term used in geology; clayey is more common and easier to understand.
- heavy
- Heavy describes soil that is hard to work, often because of clay; clayey specifically names the clay content.
Opposites
Word family
- clay noun
- A type of heavy, sticky earth that becomes hard when baked.
Commonly confused: clayey or clay?
clayey vs clay
Clay is the noun for the material itself; clayey is the adjective describing something that contains or resembles clay.
Practice
The soil in our backyard is very ______, so water pools on top after it rains.
Choose one answer.
We need an adjective to describe the soil, and 'clayey' means containing clay. 'Clay' is a noun and cannot directly follow 'very' as a descriptive adjective; 'clayed' and 'claying' are not standard adjectives for this meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “clayey”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.