adj

frilly

FRIH-lee

Frilly (adj) means Decorated with frills (small gathered strips of fabric). Example: “She wore a frilly white blouse to the party.”

adj

Decorated with frills (small gathered strips of fabric).

"She wore a frilly white blouse to the party."

Overly elaborate or fussy in style.

"He preferred plain design over anything too frilly."

How to use frilly

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishCovered in frills, or more generally fussy and over-decorated.

Common pairings

frilly dress frilly curtains nothing frilly

Word forms

frillier comparative, frilliest superlative

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Can you complete this real example?

She wore a _____ white blouse to the party.

Rhymes for frilly

silly filly billy willy tilly hilly Milly dilly Lilly Jilly gilly chilly

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Frequently asked questions

What does “frilly” mean?

The word “frilly” means decorated with frills (small gathered strips of fabric). In plain terms, covered in frills, or more generally fussy and over-decorated.

How do you pronounce “frilly”?

“Frilly” is pronounced FRIH-lee (/ˈfɹɪli/ in IPA).

How do you use “frilly” in a sentence?

Here is “frilly” used in a sentence: “She wore a frilly white blouse to the party.”

What part of speech is “frilly”?

“Frilly” is an adjective.

How many meanings does “frilly” have?

“Frilly” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: decorated with frills (small gathered strips of fabric).