Word.ws English Dictionary

-ey

-ey is the alternative form of -y.

-ey is the alternative form of -y /-ie.

Meaning of -y

Suffix (1)

-y (adjective-forming suffix, comparative -ier, superlative -iest)

  1. Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives meaning “having the quality of”, either “involving the referent” or “analogous to it”.
    • mess + -y → messy
    Synonyms:
    -al, -an, -ial, -ian, -ly, -ous, -esque, -ish, -like, -oid
  2. Added to verbs to form adjectives meaning "inclined to".
    • run + -y → runny
  3. (informal, rare) Added to adjectives to form informal synonyms or adjectives meaning "somewhat, rather".
    • bald + -y → baldy

Suffix (2)

-y (noun-forming suffix, plural -ies)

  1. Forming diminutive nouns.
    • gran(nam) + -y → granny
    Synonyms:
    -cule, -ee, -el, -et, -ette, -icle, -ie, -kin, -le, -let
  2. Forming familiar names, pet names, nicknames and terms of endearment.
    • And(rew) + -y → Andy
  3. Added for metrical reasons to songs, often in children's music where it may carry diminutive associations.

See all 13 meanings of -y

Questions about -ey

What is -ey the alternative form of?
-ey is the alternative form of -y.

Words near -ey in the dictionary

  1. -eum
  2. -euse
  3. -ever
  4. -ex
  5. -exia
  6. -ey
  7. -ez
  8. -f
  9. -facient
  10. -faction
  11. -facture

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: -ey (page history and authors); -y (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “-ey.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/-ey. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.