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# mousy

adjective (mousy or mousey, mousier, mousiest)

«mousy» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (of hair) A dull light brown colour, like a mouse. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mousy/#m1)
2. (of a person) Quiet, shy and not easily noticed. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mousy/#m2)
3. Like a mouse or smelling of mice. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mousy/#m3)

### In the lessons

Used in stories to describe looks and character: «a mousy little man». In Alice there are many mice; a «mousy» smell can mean mice live in a place. It can sound unkind when said about someone's hair or character, so be careful using it about real people.

### Examples

- She had mousy brown hair tied in a ponytail. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mousy/#x1)
- The new boy was mousy and hardly spoke. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mousy/#x2)
- The old shed had a mousy smell. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mousy/#x3)
- A mousy little clerk sat behind the desk. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mousy/#x4)
- Don't call people mousy – it can hurt their feelings. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mousy/#x5)
- The mousy kitten hid under the sofa. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mousy/#x6)

### Note

Both «mousy» and «mousey» are correct. Comparative: mousier, mousiest. Can be unkind about a person.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «mousy» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mousy/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«mousy» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/mousy.html) on Mova free.