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Meaning & use

dreamy

adjective·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˈdriːmi/
US/ˈdriːmi/

Meanings

  1. adjectivecomparable

    Seeming lost in pleasant thoughts, not paying attention to what is happening around you.

    Grammar: Describes a person or expression: a dreamy look, she seemed dreamy.

    Patterns

    • look dreamy
    • a dreamy expression

    He gave a dreamy smile as he looked out the window.

    The students were dreamy on the last afternoon before the holidays.

    Her dreamy mood made her forget to eat her lunch.

  2. adjectivecomparable

    Soft, gentle and unreal in a way that feels like a dream.

    Grammar: Applies to scenes, light or sound: a dreamy landscape, dreamy music.

    Patterns

    • a dreamy atmosphere

    The painting has a soft, dreamy quality.

    The band played a slow, dreamy ballad.

    Mist over the lake gave the morning a dreamy look.

  3. adjectivecomparableinformal

    Extremely attractive or wonderful, used in casual speech.

    Grammar: Mostly used by young speakers about a person or a place.

    Patterns

    • look dreamy

    Their honeymoon cottage was absolutely dreamy.

    She thought the new teacher was dreamy.

    What a dreamy sunset!

Word forms

comparativedreamier
superlativedreamiest

Common combinations

dreamy eyes
He gazed at her with dreamy eyes.
dreamy voice
She spoke in a soft, dreamy voice.
dreamy look
A dreamy look came over his face.
dreamy landscape
The film opens on a dreamy landscape of hills.
dreamy sound
The synthesizer creates a dreamy sound.

Synonyms and how they differ

wistful
Wistful adds a touch of sadness or longing, while dreamy is calmer and can be purely pleasant.
absent-minded
Absent-minded stresses forgetfulness, whereas dreamy suggests being lost in pleasant thoughts.
ethereal
Ethereal is more formal and describes something so delicate that it seems not of this world.
romantic
Romantic relates to love, whereas dreamy can describe mood and style as well as attraction.

Opposites

alertpracticalharsh

Word family

dream noun
images and thoughts experienced during sleep, or a hope
dreamer noun
a person who has big ideas or is lost in thought
dreamily adverb
in a way that shows you are lost in thought
dreaminess noun
the quality of being soft and unreal
dreamlike adjective
strange and unreal like a dream

Commonly confused: dreamy or dreary?

dreamy vs dreary

Dreary means dull and gloomy, while dreamy means soft and pleasantly unreal.

Practice

The film's soft lighting and slow music gave it a ______ feel.

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