winey

Meanings

1. 1adjectivecomparable

   Tasting or smelling like wine, or showing the sharp, fermented character of wine.

   Grammar: Can go before a noun or after a linking verb: a winey sauce, the sauce tasted winey.

   Patterns

   • taste winey
   • smell winey
   • a winey flavor

   The stew was too winey because the cook had not let the alcohol simmer away.

   Some cheap cider has a winey edge that I find unpleasant.

   The cake had a rich, winey smell from the soaked raisins.

2. 2adjectivecomparableinformal

   Of a person or breath, smelling of wine or affected by drinking it.

   Grammar: Often describes breath or a person's manner: his breath was winey.

   Patterns

   • winey breath

   He leaned over the table, his breath winey and warm.

   The room had a winey fug after the long dinner party.

   She gave a loud, winey laugh as the evening wore on.

Word forms

Common combinations

winey taste

The sauce had a winey taste that overpowered the fish.

winey aroma

A winey aroma drifted from the cellar.

slightly winey

The cherries were slightly winey after a week in syrup.

winey breath

His winey breath gave him away.

rich and winey

The fruitcake was rich and winey.

Synonyms and how they differ

vinous

Vinous is a formal or technical word for something relating to wine, while winey is the plain everyday choice.

fermented

Fermented describes a process that has happened to a food, not specifically a flavor like wine.

boozy

Boozy points to a strong taste or smell of alcohol of any kind and is more casual, while winey ties it to wine.

Word family

wine noun

the drink made from fermented grapes

wininess noun

the quality of tasting like wine

winery noun

a place where wine is made

wino noun

informal and often disrespectful word for a heavy drinker

Commonly confused: winey or whiny?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “winey”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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