Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Having a thin, dry, and often slightly crisp texture similar to that of paper: Describes a material, surface, or object that is very thin, lightweight, and fragile, resembling paper in its physical qualities.
   • Pertaining to or resembling paper: Used to characterize the quality, appearance, or feel of something as being like paper.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • The ancient document was so papery and brittle that it crumbled at the touch.
  • Some flowers, like poppies, have delicate, papery petals.
  • The skin on his hands became thin and papery with age.

Advanced Usage

• Scientific/Botanical Context: Often used to describe plant parts like leaves, seed pods, or flower petals that are dry, membranous, and translucent.
  • The botanist noted the tree's papery bark, which peeled off in thin strips.
• Descriptive Writing: Used to evoke a specific sensory detail, particularly for touch and sight.
  • Her voice was a papery whisper, barely audible in the quiet room.

Variants and Related Words

• Paper-thin (adj): Extremely thin, like a sheet of paper.
  • The chef sliced the cucumber into paper-thin rounds.
• Paperiness (n): The quality or state of being papery. (Note: This is a less common derived noun.)

Synonyms

• Flimsy: Lacking solidity or strength; easily damaged.
• Gossamer: Very light, delicate, and insubstantial.
• Parchment-like: Resembling the thin, stiff material of ancient parchment.

Antonyms

• Thick: Having a large distance between opposite surfaces.
• Sturdy: Strongly and solidly built.
• Leathery: Having a tough, flexible texture like leather.

Related Phrases/Idioms

(Note: "Papery" itself is not commonly used in standard idioms. Its descriptive use is more literal.) - As thin as paper: A simile emphasizing extreme thinness. - After his illness, he was as thin as paper.

Adjective

1. of or like paper
2. thin and paperlike
   • papery leaves
   • wasps that make nests of papery material