SKIP TO CONTENT

bumpy

/ˈbʌmpi/
/ˈbʌmpi/
IPA guide

Other forms: bumpier; bumpily; bumpiest

Bumpy means not smooth, as in covered in lumps and bumps, like a bumpy path that makes your car bounce, or a bumpy road to getting your parents to lend you the car.

Anything covered in bumps is bumpy, whether it’s a road, the skin of a toad, or the surface of the birthday cake you made for your brother. It can also describe a ride full of unexpected jolts and bumps: "It was a bumpy journey along the mountain passes in her Jeep." Figuratively, bumpy can also describe a difficult process: "What a bumpy ride that was, getting my visa to travel to China!"

Definitions of bumpy
  1. adjective
    covered with or full of bumps
    “a bumpy country road”
    synonyms:
    rough, unsmooth
    having or caused by an irregular surface
  2. adjective
    causing or characterized by jolts and irregular movements
    synonyms: jolting, jolty, jumpy, rocky, rough
Pronunciation
US
/ˈbʌmpi/
UK
/ˈbʌmpi/
Cite this entry
Style:
MLA
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago

Copy citation
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘bumpy'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
Word Family