shelled

Freed from husks

Shelled describes something with a shell removed: shelled peanuts, shelled shrimp.

Paradoxically, it also means having a shell: a hard-shelled crab.

Context and hyphenation usually clarify—shelled alone typically means shell-off, while compounds like thin-shelled or soft-shelled indicate shell-on.

To be shelled is also to be bombarded with artillery: The city was shelled for three days.

crustacean

crab

Pincer-bearing shellfish

crayfish · crawdad · langoustine · hermit crab · molting · exoskeleton · carapace · claws · cracked · picked

nut

walnut

Edible hard-shelled seed

hazelnut · chestnut · pecan · macadamia · acorn · cashew · hickory · cracked · hulled · kernel

seed

sunflower seeds

Edible kernels from tall blooms

dehulled · kernel · husk · snacking · toasted · salted · spitting

legume

peas

Edible pod seeds

broad beans · chickpeas · lentils · black-eyed peas · pod · hulled · shucked · fresh · dried · podded

mollusk

oyster

Pearl-bearing edible mollusk

  • clamSand-dwelling hinged shellfish
  • musselEdible two-shelled mollusk
  • scallopFan-shaped edible shellfish

cockle · abalone · whelk · conch · snail · escargot · periwinkle · razor clam · geoduck · shucked

military

artillery

Large-caliber battlefield weapons

gunfire · howitzer · ordnance · salvo · volley · shellfire · cannonade · siege · blitz · shrapnel

egg

hard-boiled

Cooked until solid

cracked · membrane · yolk · white · Easter egg · dyed · pickled · sliced · quartered · halved

Categories
Opposites
shell removal status (food preparation)

shelledunshelled

Still in covering

in the shell · unhusked · whole · unpeeled · nonshelled

bombardment/attack status

shelledunshelled

Still in covering

unbombed · untouched · intact · undamaged · unattacked

shell possession (natural description)

shelledshell-less

Lacking a hard outer covering

unshelled · soft-bodied · naked · unprotected · exposed

Phrases
Family

shell, shells, eggshell, shellfish, seashell, shelling, shell out, unshelled, sheller

Familiarity
Top 50,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated PG