ashy

adjective

ˈa-shē 

ashier; ashiest

1

: covered with or containing ashes

ashy smoke

ashy residue

ashy soil

the ashy remains of the burned building

… the forest opened up into a giant burn scar, with the blackened skeletons of trees stretching down an ashy hillside.

—Morgan McFall-Johnsen

2

a

: suggestive of or resembling ashes (as in color)

ashy grays

an ashy smell/taste

She wore her hair down in long ashy blonde waves that reached her hips.

—Alyssa K. Davis

especially : very pale (as from fright or illness) : ashen

Symptoms that clinicians should advise their patients to look out for include slowed breathing and skin turning ashy or blue.

—Maya Yang

b

African American English : of or relating to the grayish or whitish appearance of very dry skin

—used especially to describe this condition in people with a skin pigmentation that is darker than what is typically considered white (see white entry 1 sense 2a)

Ashy skin is caused by a lack of moisture, which leaves your skin dehydrated. It can appear on essentially any part of your skin. It's also common for the skin on your arms, legs, and face to become dehydrated and ashy.

—Eleesha Lockett

Vaseline has long been a staple in Black medicine cabinets, healing everything from chapped lips to ashy elbows.

—Angela Johnson

Excessively cleaning my hands could result in dry, cracked skin, but I've been able to prevent them from becoming chapped and ashy with my arsenal of moisturizing hand creams and balms.

—Jennifer Ford

Synonyms

• ashen
• blanched
• cadaverous
• doughy
• livid
• lurid
• mealy
• pale
• paled
• pallid
• pasty
• peaked
• wan

Examples of ashy in a Sentence

paramedics knew she was in shock because she was ashy and shaking

Recent Examples on the Web

Forget the aesthetic considerations of ashy knuckles; dry, cracked skin can become itchy and unbearable, affecting your epidermis’ ability to be the body’s first barrier against the environment. —Cora Harrington, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2025

In exclusive photos, the actor rocks a scruffy ashy blonde mustache, a gray beard and overgrown sideburns, which is a far departure from his usually style. —Michelle Lee, People.com, 24 Jan. 2025

On Friday afternoon, McCurdy was tired and frustrated, waiting at the blockade, the air ashy. —Hailey Branson-Potts, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2025

Hours later, Wootton’s family was eating dinner and watching the news when Reiner burst through the door, covered head to toe in thick, ashy soot. —Lauren Penington, The Denver Post, 23 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

ashy

adjective

ˈash-ē 

ashier; ashiest

1

: of, relating to, or resembling ashes

2

: ashen sense 2