powdery

adjective

pow·​dery ˈpau̇-də-rē 

1

a

: resembling or consisting of powder

powdery snow

b

: easily reduced to powder : crumbling

2

: covered with or as if with powder

Synonyms of powdery

• dusty
• fine

Examples of powdery in a Sentence

the beach's powdery white sand

We skied down the powdery slopes.

Recent Examples on the Web

Siesta Beach, Florida, ranked 28th, thanks to its calm water and powdery white sand. —Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 29 Apr. 2026

Wrightsville Beach is about 10 minutes away by car, while many other powdery island options are just a bit farther. —Anne Olivia Bauso, Travel + Leisure, 22 Apr. 2026

The powdery scene may have made some feel like winter was back. —Chaewon Chung, Sacbee.com, 22 Apr. 2026

In a photo shared by police, officers appeared to have recovered stacks of 20-dollar bills, pills in prescription bottles, and a white powdery substance in little baggies. —Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 19 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing powdery

• powdery mildew

Kids Definition

powdery

adjective

pow·​dery ˈpau̇d-ə-rē 

1

a

: resembling or consisting of powder

b

: easily made into a powder : crumbly

2

: covered with or as if with powder : dusty