Sandpapery describes something that feels rough and scratchy, like actual sandpaper. When you run your hand along a piece of wood that hasn't been smoothed yet, that scratchy texture is sandpapery. A cat's tongue feels sandpapery because it's covered in tiny, backward-facing barbs that help them groom themselves and rasp meat from bones.

The word works for sounds too. A voice can sound sandpapery when it's hoarse or gravelly, like someone who's been cheering loudly at a game or singing for hours. After you've had a sore throat, your voice might come out sandpapery for a day or two.

You might describe a wool blanket as sandpapery if it's scratchy against your skin, or say that tree bark feels sandpapery under your fingers. The word captures that specific kind of roughness: not sharp like a thorn or bumpy like gravel, but gritty and abrasive, the kind of texture that would smooth something down if you rubbed it back and forth enough times.