SPONGY (spongier, spongiest)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected forms: spongier    , spongiest   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does spongy mean? 

• SPONGY (adjective)
  The adjective SPONGY has 2 senses:

1. easily squashed; resembling a sponge in having soft porous texture and compressibility

2. like a sponge in being able to absorb liquids and yield it back when compressed

  Familiarity information: SPONGY used as an adjective is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SPONGY (adjective)

Comparative: spongier   
Superlative: spongiest   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Easily squashed; resembling a sponge in having soft porous texture and compressibility

Synonyms:

spongelike; spongy; squashy; squishy

Context example:

spongy bread

Similar:

soft (yielding readily to pressure or weight)

Derivation:

sponge (primitive multicellular marine animal whose porous body is supported by a fibrous skeletal framework; usually occurs in sessile colonies)

sponginess (the property of being able to occupy less space)

sponginess (the porosity of a sponge)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Like a sponge in being able to absorb liquids and yield it back when compressed

Synonyms:

spongelike; spongy

Similar:

absorbent; absorptive (having power or capacity or tendency to absorb or soak up something (liquids or energy etc.))

Derivation:

sponge (a porous mass of interlacing fibers that forms the internal skeleton of various marine animals and usable to absorb water or any porous rubber or cellulose product similarly used)

sponginess (the porosity of a sponge)

 Context examples 

It is most commonly caused by trichophyton rubrum and is characterized by the formation of spongy granulomas which persist for three to four months and leaves deep scars.

(Deep Seated Dermatophytosis, NCI Thesaurus)

An autosomal dominant inherited disorder characterized by thickened and spongy oral mucosa with a white tint.

(Hereditary Mucosal Leukokeratosis, NCI Thesaurus)

Bone marrow, the spongy material inside your bones, makes new blood cells.

(Blood, NIH)

It is characterized by spongy degeneration of the white matter of the brain.

(Canavan Disease, NCI Thesaurus)

A thick, spongy layer of tissue located under the metacarpal and metatarsal joints of the foot.

(Footpad, NCI Thesaurus)

Ethmoid sinuses are found in the spongy ethmoid bone in the upper part of the nose between the eyes.

(Ethmoid sinus, NCI Dictionary)

There were four protruding fingers and a horrid red, spongy surface where the thumb should have been. It had been hacked or torn right out from the roots.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Spongy discs located between the vertebrae of the spinal column; composed of the outer annulus fibrosus and inner nucleus pulposus.

(Intervertebral Disc, NCI Thesaurus)

A developmental disorder of the kidney characterized by cystic dilatation of the medullary collecting ducts, resulting in a spongy gross appearance of the kidney.

(Medullary Sponge Kidney, NCI Thesaurus)

The central and spongy portion of the bone.

(Medullary Bone, NCI Thesaurus)