lathery

Meanings

1. 1adjectivenot comparable

   Covered with or full of lather; foamy or soapy.

   Grammar: Describes a noun directly: lathery hands, a lathery surface.

   Patterns

   • lathery hands
   • a lathery surface
   • feel lathery

   After washing the dog, my hands were lathery and slippery.

   The soap left a lathery film on the sink.

   His face was lathery with sweat after the long run.

2. 2adjectivenot comparable

   Resembling lather in texture; frothy or foamy.

   Grammar: Used mainly in descriptions of liquids or textures.

   Patterns

   • a lathery liquid
   • lathery foam

   The mixture became lathery when she added the soap.

   A lathery substance had formed on top of the water.

Common combinations

lathery hands

He dried his lathery hands on the towel.

lathery foam

The waves left a lathery foam on the beach.

lathery sweat

The horse was covered in lathery sweat after the race.

Synonyms and how they differ

foamy

More common and general; it can describe any foam, not just soap lather.

soapy

Focuses on the soap itself rather than the lather it produces.

frothy

Often used for drinks or light foam, not usually for a person's skin.

Word family

lather noun

The white foam made by soap and water.

lather verb

To make foam by rubbing soap with water.

Commonly confused: lathery or leathery?

Practice

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