Billowy describes something that swells, rolls, or moves in soft waves, like fabric caught in a breeze or clouds drifting across the sky. A billowy curtain puffs out from an open window, filling with air and floating gently. A chef's billowy white hat rises high above their head in soft, rounded folds.

When something is billowy, it has a rolling, wavelike quality. Smoke rising from a campfire can be billowy as it curls upward in soft, rounded shapes. A princess in a fairy tale might wear a billowy gown with layers of fabric that flow and move as she walks.

Billowy suggests something light, airy, and graceful rather than stiff or rigid. A billowy cloud looks soft enough to sleep on, even though you’d fall right through it. When someone describes a blanket as billowy, they mean it’s thick and fluffy, with air trapped between its fibers. The word creates a feeling of movement and softness, like watching laundry dance on a clothesline on a breezy afternoon.