Meanings
curly1
adjectivecurly (comparative curlier, superlative curliest)
comparative curlier · superlative curliest
- Having curls.
- mediaCurling in a direction, as opposed to straight (quotation marks or apostrophes)
- AustraliaComplicated and difficult; knotty.
Often, the job will throw you a curly problem that will cause the unprepared to fail, so it is best to prepare an investigative plan before starting work.
2005, Chris Cooper, Behind the Private Eye: The Private Investigator's Secrets, →ISBN, page 176
Curly2
proper noun
- A nickname for a person with curly hair.
- humorousA nickname for a bald person.
- A male given name.
Synonyms & antonyms
adjective(of hair) having curls or waves
Opposite
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Arabic مُجَعَد, مُجَعَد
- مُجَعَد (mujaʕad)having curls
- مُجَعَد (mujaʕad)a person or animal with curly hair
Bulgarian къдра́в, вълни́ст
- къдра́в (kădráv)having curls
- вълни́ст (vălníst)having curls
Catalan arrissat
- arrissathaving curls
Chinese Mandarin 捲曲的 /卷曲的, 捲髮 /卷发
- 捲曲的 /卷曲的 (juǎnqū de)having curls
- 捲髮 /卷发 (juǎnfà)a person or animal with curly hair
Czech kudrnatý, vlnitý
- kudrnatýhaving curls
- vlnitýhaving curls
- kudrnáča person or animal with curly hair
Danish krøllet, krøltop
- krøllethaving curls
- krøltopa person or animal with curly hair
Dutch krullig, krullerig
- krullighaving curls
- krullerighaving curls
- krullenbola person or animal with curly hair
Esperanto bukla
- buklahaving curls
Finnish kihara, kiharainen
- kiharahaving curls
- kiharainenhaving curls
- kiemurtelevahaving curls
- kiharapääa person or animal with curly hair
French bouclé, frisé
- boucléhaving curls
- friséhaving curls
- courbe(typography) curling in a direction, as opposed to straight (quotation marks or apostrophes)
- courbé(typography) curling in a direction, as opposed to straight (quotation marks or apostrophes)
- friséa person or animal with curly hair
German lockig, Lockenkopf
- lockighaving curls
- Lockenkopfa person or animal with curly hair
- Wuschelkopfa person or animal with curly hair
Greek κατσαρός
- κατσαρός (katsarós)having curls
Hebrew מתולתל, מתולתלת
- מתולתל (metultal)having curls
- מתולתלת (metultelet)having curls
Hungarian göndör, kunkorodó
- göndörhaving curls
- kunkorodó(typography) curling in a direction, as opposed to straight (quotation marks or apostrophes)
- kapcsos(typography) curling in a direction, as opposed to straight (quotation marks or apostrophes)
Irish catach, coirníneach
- catachhaving curls
- coirníneachhaving curls
- castahaving curls
- catachána person or animal with curly hair
Italian arricciato, riccioluto
- arricciatohaving curls
- ricciolutoa person or animal with curly hair
Japanese 巻き毛の
- 巻き毛の (makige no)having curls
Latin crispus
- crispushaving curls
Malay keriting, kerinting
- keritinghaving curls
- kerintinghaving curls
- pepuahhaving curls
Māori māwhai, mingi
- māwhaihaving curls
- mingihaving curls
- mingimingihaving curls
- tetehaving curls
- tetehaving curls
- makakahaving curls
- māwhatuhaving curls
Polish kędzierzawy, kręcony
- kędzierzawyhaving curls
- kręconyhaving curls
- kręconowłosya person or animal with curly hair
- kędzierzawya person or animal with curly hair
Portuguese cacheado, encaracolado
- cacheadohaving curls
- encaracoladoa person or animal with curly hair
Romanian creț
- crețhaving curls
Russian кудря́вый, курча́вый
- кудря́вый (kudrjávyj)having curls
- курча́вый (kurčávyj)having curls
- кучеря́вый (kučerjávyj)having curls
- волни́стый (volnístyj)having curls
- вью́щийся (vʹjúščijsja)having curls
- кудря́вый (kudrjávyj)a person or animal with curly hair
Scottish Gaelic bachalach, dualach
- bachalachhaving curls
- dualachhaving curls
- cùrlachhaving curls
- cuaileanachhaving curls
- bachlachhaving curls
- bachlagachhaving curls
Spanish rizado, chino
- rizadohaving curls
- chinohaving curls
- crespohaving curls
- rizadoa person or animal with curly hair
Swedish lockig, krullig
- lockighaving curls
- krullighaving curls
Turkish kıvırcık, cingelek
- kıvırcıkhaving curls
- cingelekhaving curls
Ukrainian кучеря́вий, хвиля́стий
- кучеря́вий (kučerjávyj)having curls
- хвиля́стий (xvyljástyj)having curls
Vietnamese xoăn, quăn
- xoănhaving curls
- quănhaving curls
- người tóc xoăna person or animal with curly hair
Yiddish געקרײַזלט
- געקרײַזלט (gekrayzlt)having curls
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with curly
earlyShirleygirlyburleypearlysurlyburlyEarleyBuehrlehurlysquirrellybright and earlyChristmas come earlychurlyhurly-burlyknurlyquirlyuncurly
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
curly. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/curly
MLA
“curly.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/curly. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “curly,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/curly.
Source: curly on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.