Definition

Having worms or resembling worms; often used to describe something that is infested or damaged by worms.

Example

The old wood was wormy and needed to be replaced.

Conversation

Have you seen that old apple in the fridge?

Yeah, it looks a bit wormy to me.

I thought so too; I should probably throw it away.

Good idea! We don’t want any surprises when we bite into it.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Wormy → It is formed from "worm" (from Old English "wyrm", meaning serpent or snake) and "-y" (a suffix used to form adjectives indicating a characteristic). The word "wormy" describes something that has the characteristics of or is infested with worms.

Memory Tip

Think of the Old English word for serpent ('wyrm') to remember that 'wormy' describes something that has the characteristics of worms.

Visually Confused Words