furry

comparative furrier · superlative furriest

1. Covered with fur, or with something resembling fur.

   His treatment of our furry friends was nothing short of appalling.

   2 more examples

   There were certain cages you felt you had to pass on tiptoe, noting some aged Fellow whispering endearments into a snow-leopardess’s furry ear.

   1957 November 19, Peter Simple [pseudonym; Michael Wharton], “[Way of the World] End of the Affair”, in The Daily Telegraph and Morning Post, 4 a.m. edition, number 31,912, London, page 10, column 4

   Hard to believe that, until recently, this furriest of floor coverings had been written off as the ultimate home-furnishing faux pas.

   1999 June 10, Rick Marin, “How Deep Is Your Rug?”, in The New York Times

2. Resembling or characteristic of fur.

   a furry smell

   1 more example

   a furry texture

3. informalOf or related to the furry fandom, a subculture defined by an interest in anthropomorphic animal characters.

plural furries

1. Someone who identifies with or as an animal character with human-like characteristics (an anthropomorphic animal character).

   Synonyms: fur

2. An anthropomorphic animal character of this kind.

   What percentage of furries are wolves?

   Synonyms: anthro, fur, funny animal

3. Any member of the furry fandom or subculture (including those without fursonas).

   The furry had designed an elaborate costume.

   4 more examples

   Especially interesting in this regard are furries with more than one fursona. […] Consider, for instance, how Muse describes his two fursonas: My two current sonas are a bat and a rabbit.

   2020, Kathy Merlock Jackson, Kathy Shepherd Stolley, Lisa Lyon Payne, Animals and Ourselves: Essays on Connections and Blurred Boundaries, McFarland, →ISBN

   While members of the fandom seem to use "fandom" in a formal capacity explicitly to describe particular interest in forms of art, it is also used less formally to refer to all members of the furry community regardless of artistic involvement and commitment to a fursona.

   2020 September 25, Kathy Merlock Jackson, Kathy Shepherd Stolley, Lisa Lyon Payne, Animals and Ourselves: Essays on Connections and Blurred Boundaries, McFarland, →ISBN, page 245

   24 per cent of respondents of the 1,011 results did not have a fursona at all. This shows that having a fursona is still in the majority but it opens up questions as to why a significant minority do not have them but still consider themselves a Furry.

   2021 August 26, Jessica Ruth Austin, Fan Identities in the Furry Fandom, Bloomsbury Publishing USA, →ISBN, page 57

   Many young people are also reevaluating what once constituted cringe, attributing use of the term to unacknowledged bigotry more than just a rejection of sincerity. Some niche communities, such as furries, anime fans, and fetish groups, who were once mocked on social media, have since amassed cultural power that has launched them into the mainstream.

   2023 April 23, Taylor Lorenz, “'Am I Cringey? Yes. Do I Care? Absolutely Not'”, in Rolling Stone, New York, N.Y.: Penske Media Corporation, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 22 Jun 2023

plural Furrys

1. A surname.