Dreich is a grey, dreary day; braw is a fine one. The Scottish National Dictionary defines dreich as “of the weather, scenery, etc.: dreary, cheerless, bleak” (DSL). Braw is “pleasant, often as applied to the weather” (DSL). Pack for both, and you will hear the two words used about the same day.
What does dreich mean?
Today it means a damp, grey, cheerless day. But the dictionary says “the basic meaning is long-drawn-out, protracted, hence tedious, wearisome”. It also records dreich used of long journeys and of long-winded speeches: “of sermons, speeches, etc.: long-winded, interminable”. So a dreich day is one that seems to go on and on.
Our own example: “It was dreich all morning, so we had a second coffee.” Picture the castle above on such a day, with cloud low over the loch. Eilean Donan is open to visitors; check hours on the official Eilean Donan site before you go.
What does braw mean?
Braw has more senses than most visitors expect. The dictionary lists “fine, splendid”, “handsome, of fine physique”, “well or gaily dressed” and “pleasant, often as applied to the weather”. Used of a person, it is a warm compliment. Our example: “It is a braw day for the Pentlands” means the weather is lovely.
Are there other Scottish weather words?
Plenty, but these two cover most of what you will hear: dreich for the grey days and braw for the good ones. Visiting in winter? See our Scotland festival calendar for what goes on whatever the weather.
How do you use dreich and braw in a sentence?
- “Dreich again, but the soup is braw.” (our example)
- “A braw bright morning.” (our example)
More words like these are on our hub page, Scottish Words and Sayings: What They Mean. Want them to take with you? Get our free Scots words cheat sheet (a short PDF).
Last checked: 14 November 2026, against the Dictionary of the Scots Language (dsl.ac.uk). The example sentences are our own.