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I'm currently cat-tonguing looking for a word to describe something or someone that sheds a lot of hair; my instincts went with dis-/ex-pilitive/-pilious, but those entries are null in the dictionary.

Examples:

  1. People with dander allergies usually can't keep ___ pets.
  2. My ___ roommate is constantly clogging one drain or the other.
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  • My shedding or mo(u)lting roommate
    – mplungjan
    Commented May 18, 2015 at 11:48
  • 2
    These aren't words which mean shedding a lot of hair, so I'll leave them as a comment rather than an answer, but there are a couple of obscure and funny words which mean having a lot of hair (i.e. being hairy): hirsute and flocculent (the latter being closer to wooly, so tight, curly, hair).
    – Dan Bron
    Commented May 18, 2015 at 12:14
  • flocculent is a good one, thanks. Maybe expilious is my best choice after all!
    – MichaelChirico
    Commented May 18, 2015 at 13:36
  • cat-tonguing?
    – EleventhDoctor
    Commented May 18, 2015 at 14:17
  • Mangy sometimes works.
    – Doug McClean
    Commented May 18, 2015 at 15:51

2 Answers 2

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Animals moult (so the word you want is moulting in both instances).

To apply that verb to humans is usually humorous.

(Of an animal) shed old feathers, hair, or skin to make way for a new growth

[ODO]

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  • (I once had a roommate who was almost furry, but he was scrupulously careful about not blocking plugholes.)
    – Andrew Leach ♦
    Commented May 18, 2015 at 11:47
  • I had thought of molt/molting, but it's unsatisfactory for a few reasons: 1) I always associated "molt" with skin/feathers, though the definition shows hair is clearly suitable; 2) "molting" hits me immediately as a verb usage-- "my molting roommate" evokes a roommate in the process of molting, i.e., actively shedding skin (though context helps clarify the usage); 3) I don't get the feeling that "molting" has any connotation of the quantity of hair, which is central.
    – MichaelChirico
    Commented May 18, 2015 at 13:35
  • Perhaps a repurposing of molting would do, something like moltative / moltuous / moltariffic that conveys the meaning through emphasis.
    – MichaelChirico
    Commented May 18, 2015 at 13:38
  • Well, having owned a cat which shed hair everywhere each Spring, I think moulting is fine. The point is that using moulting is humorous: animals moult, not humans [it's not really seemly to discuss losing body hair like fur]; animals only moult when the weather warms up and they don't need a thicker winter coat [whereas your roommate is moulting continuously].
    – Andrew Leach ♦
    Commented May 18, 2015 at 13:43
  • Still, the emphasis should be on quantity, which molting misses--both poodles and golden retrievers molt, but one is much more of a hassle to have than the other (in this regard). My word would differentiate these two.
    – MichaelChirico
    Commented May 18, 2015 at 14:43
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I have heard balding used to refer to humans losing significant amounts of hair.

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  • I agree that this could be used to the effect I'm after--"Joe, this sink is disgusting, please clean up after your balding self!" On the other hand, it doesn't fit with "You're very ___", which an ideal choice would (i.e., ideal for what I'm after).
    – MichaelChirico
    Commented May 18, 2015 at 14:40

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