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Meaning & use

spicy

adjective·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˈspaɪ.si/
US/ˈspaɪ.si/

Meanings

  1. adjectivecomparable

    Containing strong flavors, especially hot ones from chili peppers or other spices.

    Grammar: Comparative: spicier; superlative: spiciest.

    Patterns

    • spicy food
    • a spicy sauce

    She ordered a spicy curry with extra chili.

    I find this salsa too spicy for me.

    The soup was warm and spicy on a cold evening.

  2. adjectivecomparableinformalfigurative

    Exciting, slightly shocking or scandalous, especially of gossip, jokes or stories.

    Grammar: Informal figurative use.

    Patterns

    • a spicy story

    The magazine ran a spicy story about the actor.

    There's some spicy gossip going around the office.

    He told a spicy joke that made everyone gasp.

  3. adjectivecomparable

    Smelling or tasting of aromatic spices like cinnamon or clove, without necessarily being hot.

    Grammar: Describes aroma or flavor, as in a spicy perfume.

    Patterns

    • spicy aroma

    The kitchen filled with a spicy aroma of cinnamon.

    The perfume had a warm, spicy scent.

    She loves spicy tea with cloves.

Word forms

comparativespicier
superlativespiciest

Common combinations

spicy food
Spicy food is popular in many countries.
spicy sauce
He added a spicy sauce to the noodles.
extra spicy
She asked for the dish to be extra spicy.
spicy gossip
The newspaper loved spicy gossip.
mildly spicy
The soup is only mildly spicy.

Synonyms and how they differ

hot
Hot refers to burning heat in the mouth, whereas spicy includes many flavors, not only heat.
peppery
Peppery points to the sharp bite of pepper in particular, while spicy is broader.
piquant
Piquant is a more formal, pleasantly sharp flavor and rarely implies strong heat.
racy
Racy is the closest match for the scandalous sense and is more old-fashioned.

Opposites

blandmild

Word family

spice noun
a strong-flavored plant substance used in cooking
spiciness noun
the quality of being spicy
spice up verb
to make more exciting or flavorful
spiced adjective
flavored with spices

Commonly confused: spicy or spacey? spicy or hot?

spicy vs spacey

Spacey means dreamy or distracted, and it sounds a little like spicy but has no connection to flavor.

spicy vs hot

A hot dish may simply be high in temperature, while a spicy dish tastes strong.

Practice

The chef warned that the dish was very ___, so we ordered extra water.

Make it your own

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