Meaning & use
dewy
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Wet with small drops of water that form on grass and leaves overnight.
Grammar: Often used before a noun: dewy grass.
We walked barefoot across the dewy lawn.
The morning was cool and dewy.
Spider webs glittered on the dewy hedge.
adjectivecomparable
Looking fresh, smooth and lightly glowing, used about skin or makeup.
Grammar: Common in beauty writing: dewy skin, a dewy finish.
The serum gives a dewy finish to your skin.
She had a dewy complexion after the holiday.
The model's dewy look was achieved with highlighter.
adjectivecomparableliterary
Soft, innocent and youthful, especially in poetic writing about eyes.
Grammar: Literary: dewy-eyed.
Patterns
- dewy-eyed
The dewy-eyed graduate believed everything would be easy.
He gazed with dewy eyes at the newborn.
Word forms
| comparative | dewier |
|---|---|
| superlative | dewiest |
Common combinations
- dewy grass
- The dewy grass soaked our shoes.
- dewy skin
- She wanted dewy skin for the wedding.
- dewy-eyed
- A dewy-eyed child stared at the sparkling lights.
- dewy finish
- The foundation leaves a dewy finish.
- dewy morning
- On a dewy morning the fields look silver.
Synonyms and how they differ
- moist
- Moist describes any slight wetness, while dewy suggests tiny drops or a fresh glow.
- glowing
- Glowing describes healthy-looking skin, while dewy suggests a slightly wet, luminous finish.
- fresh
- Fresh is a general word and does not point to droplets or shine.
- damp
- Damp is plainer and can sound unpleasant, whereas dewy has a pleasant, light feel.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: dewy or duey? dewy or doughy?
dewy vs duey
This is a misspelling; the correct spelling is dewy.
dewy vs doughy
Doughy means soft and pale like dough, not wet with dew.
Practice
The makeup artist aimed for a ___ finish instead of a flat, matte one.
Choose one answer.
Dewy means fresh and lightly glowing, the opposite of matte. Dry and dull are the opposite effect and dusty is not used for skin finish.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dewy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.