Feathery describes something that looks, feels, or moves like feathers: soft, light, and delicate. When you see feathery clouds stretched thin across the sky, they look wispy and spread out like the fine edges of bird feathers. Fresh snow sometimes falls in feathery flakes that drift slowly through the air instead of dropping straight down.

The word captures a particular kind of softness and lightness. A feathery scarf might be made of material so light and airy it barely weighs anything. Feathery plants, like certain ferns or grasses, have leaves that branch out in delicate patterns. When an artist uses feathery brushstrokes, they create soft, gentle lines rather than bold, heavy ones.

You might describe a bird's plumage as feathery, especially when the feathers look particularly fluffy or downy. But the word works for anything with that characteristic lightness and softness: feathery frost patterns on a window, the feathery fronds of a palm tree, or even the feathery texture of whipped cream. The word suggests something gentle, airy, and pleasant to touch or look at.