Haired describes having hair of a particular type, color, or length. It's almost always used with a describing word in front of it: dark-haired, long-haired, red-haired, curly-haired. You might read about a “dark-haired stranger” in a mystery novel or describe your “curly-haired cousin” to help someone pick her out in a crowd.

The word rarely appears alone. You usually wouldn't say someone is simply “haired.” Instead, it becomes useful when you need to distinguish between people or create a vivid description. In The Three Musketeers, d'Artagnan is described as a dark-haired young man, which helps readers picture him clearly.

Writers often use haired in combinations to paint quick portraits: a “silver-haired grandfather,” a “blond-haired toddler,” a “wild-haired scientist.” Each combination tells you something immediate about how someone looks. The word works like a shortcut, packing appearance information into a compact phrase that flows naturally in a sentence.