Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Resembling chalk in texture or appearance: Having a dry, powdery, or crumbly quality similar to that of chalk.
   • Containing or composed of chalk: Made from or including chalk or a chalk-like substance, such as calcium carbonate.
   • Very pale or white in color: Having a pallid, whitish, or ashen hue, often suggesting a lack of healthy color.

Examples of Usage

• Adjective:
  • The soil in the garden was dry and chalky. (The soil had a dry, powdery texture like chalk.)
  • The cliffs are composed of chalky limestone. (The cliffs are made of limestone that contains or resembles chalk.)
  • His face turned a chalky white when he heard the news. (His face became very pale.)

Advanced Usage

• "chalky taste": An unpleasant dry, powdery, or mineral-like sensation in the mouth, often associated with certain wines, medicines, or foods.
  • The cheap tablet left a chalky taste in her mouth.
• "chalky finish": A matte, non-glossy, and often slightly textured surface, commonly used in art, paint, or cosmetics.
  • She preferred the chalky finish of the matte lipstick.

Variants and Related Words

• Chalk (n): A soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of calcium carbonate.
• Chalk (v): To write, draw, or mark with chalk.
• Chalkiness (n): The quality or state of being chalky.

Synonyms

• Powdery: Having the consistency of fine, dry particles.
• Pallid: Lacking color or intensity; pale.
• Calcareous: Containing calcium carbonate; chalky.

Antonyms

• Glossy: Having a shiny, smooth, and reflective surface.
• Ruddy: Having a healthy red color.
• Smooth: Having an even and regular surface; free from perceptible projections, lumps, or indentations.

Related Phrases

• "to feel chalky": To have a dry, powdery, or parched sensation.
  • After the long hike, his throat felt chalky.
• "chalky deposit": A layer or accumulation of a chalk-like substance.
  • The kettle had a chalky deposit from the hard water.

Adjective

1. of something having the color of chalk
   • she turned chalky white
2. composed of or containing or resembling calcium carbonate or calcite or chalk