rhizoverbBeta
DictionaryclammyCold and damp
adjective

clammy

KLAM-ee/ˈklæmi/

Unpleasantly cold, damp, and sticky to the touch.

The shivering man pulls the clammy shirt away from his damp skin.

An older man shivers while peeling a damp, clinging shirt away from his chest; moisture on his skin, raised goosebumps, and his uncomfortable expression suggest cold, sticky dampness rather than refreshing wetness.
Etymology
clammOld Englishmud, sticky clay
+yEnglishcharacterized by

Clammy probably extends an older adjective descended from a word for mud or sticky clay. That sticky texture connects its earlier meaning “soft and sticky” with the unpleasant dampness it describes today.

In context

LibriVox Audiobooks376:42
The rain increased, and after the sweating on the march, we were becoming clammy and cold.
Everyman at War. Sixty Personal Narratives of the War by Charles B. Purdom Part 1/3 | Audio Book

More examples

  • The wet shirt clings to her clammy skin.
  • A clammy chill fills the basement.
  • His palms grow clammier as the announcement approaches.

Forms

clammy · clammier · clammiest

Similar words

damp
Damp simply means slightly wet; clammy adds an unpleasant cold or sticky feel.