1. consisting of or containing starch - starchy foods • Ant: starchless • Similar to: starchlike, amylaceous, amyloid, amyloidal, farinaceous • Derivationally related forms: starch 2. rigidly formal - a starchy manner - the letter was stiff and formal - his prose has a buckram quality • Syn: stiff, buckram • Similar to: formal • Derivationally related forms: stiffness (for: stiff)