Squashier

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. More soft and yielding when pressed, giving way easily under the hand ; more mushy and wet in texture, like overripe fruit that has gone soft
2. Softer and more pliant than something else when squeezed or compressed ; more pulpy and squelchy in consistency, as fruit often becomes when overripe
3. Giving way more readily to pressure than another object ; having a more sodden, pulpy texture, like fruit left past its best

Etymology: Squashier is simply the comparative of "squashy," the adjective for something soft and yielding under pressure, so its story is really the story of its base word. "Squash" comes into English from Old French "esquasser," meaning to crush or press flat, and the adjective grew from the verb by adding the suffix "-y," an ordinary English ending that turns a noun or verb into a description of a quality. "Squashy" therefore describes something that gives way when pressed, and it takes the comparative "-ier" form, as "squashy" ends in a "y" that changes to "i" before the ending, to mean more squashy than something else.

Synonyms: softer, mushier, spongier

Antonyms: firmer, harder