showery

Imagine a day when the sun peeks through the clouds but brief bursts of rain keep coming and going. That is the kind of weather this word describes. It is not steady rain that lasts for hours; it feels more broken and changeable. You might use it for a spring day when you expect some sunshine but still want to keep an umbrella nearby. The word suggests short spells of rain with dry gaps in between.

"Showery" describes weather with frequent, brief periods of rain that come and go instead of falling steadily for a long time. It usually suggests scattered showers rather than one continuous spell of rain. While a "shower" is a single event, "showery" describes the overall feel of the weather over a period of time.

The word is not just about whether it rains, but about the pattern of the rain. A showery day often has changing skies, with sunshine, clouds, and quick patches of rain taking turns. That gives it an unpredictable feel: one minute the weather seems fine, and the next you need to step under cover. For that reason, "showery" is especially common in weather reports about spring and autumn, when conditions often change quickly.

You will often see "showery" in weather forecasts, in phrases such as "showery conditions" or "showery rain," meaning that showers are likely at different times during the day. It does not usually suggest severe weather. Instead, it points to a broken, on-and-off pattern of rain that may be light or moderate and may be mixed with clearer periods.

So, the next time you get a day with sudden sunshine, passing clouds, and a few quick spells of rain, "showery" is a natural word for it. It captures a restless, changeable kind of weather rather than a day of steady rain from start to finish.