Doughy describes something that looks, feels, or acts like uncooked dough: soft, pale, and slightly lumpy rather than firm or crisp.

When bread doesn't bake long enough, the center stays doughy instead of becoming light and airy. You bite into it and find that thick, sticky texture that should have turned into proper bread. Cookies can turn out doughy in the middle if you take them out of the oven too early, though some people actually prefer them that way.

The word can also describe how someone's face or body might look: soft and pale without much definition or muscle tone, like uncooked dough sitting on a counter. A character in a story might have “doughy cheeks” or a “doughy complexion,” meaning their skin looks pallid and lacks firmness.

You might hear someone describe themselves as feeling doughy after weeks without exercise, or notice that pizza crust tastes doughy when it hasn't cooked through.