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Synonyms

foggy

American  
[fog-ee, faw-gee] / ˈfɒg i, ˈfɔ gi /

adjective

  • foggier,
    comparative
  • foggiest
    superlative
  1. thick with or having much fog; misty.

    a foggy valley;

    a foggy spring day.

  2. covered or enveloped as if with fog.

    a foggy mirror.

  3. (of thinking, ideas, etc.) dim or unclear as if obscured by fog; vague.

    I haven't the foggiest notion of where she went.

    Synonyms:
    muddleheaded, muddled, fuzzy, befuddled
  4. bewildered; confused.

    Difficulties with memory, concentration, attention, and fatigue left me feeling foggy and muddled much of the time.

  5. Photography. affected by fog.


foggy British  
/ ˈfɒɡɪ /

adjective

  1. thick with fog

  2. obscure or confused

  3. another word for fogged

  4. no idea whatsoever

    I haven't the foggiest

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Adjectives


Etymology

Origin of foggy

First recorded in 1520–30; fog 2 + -y 1; original sense was “marshy, thick, murky”


Explanation

Something that's foggy is cloudy or murky, filled with fog. A foggy view is blurred and indistinct, just like a foggy mind. Driving on a foggy road can be tricky, since it's more or less like driving inside a cloud. When the inside of your head feels this way — blurry, clouded, and vague — you can also used foggy in a figurative way: "Her memory grew foggy as the years went by." Experts aren't sure whether foggy or fog came first, but in either case they suspect a Scandinavian root.

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The trucks use lidar to see more clearly in the dark, dust and foggy weather and can react faster or avoid a hazard.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

The first died less than 10 minutes after departing the boat ramp: One moment, barreling along at full chat; the next, suddenly quiet, sloshing to a halt in the middle of the foggy channel.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

"Everything was foggy, you couldn't open the window and it stank," she said, showing a picture on her phone of an orange glow partially obscured by thick smoke clouds that had turned the air black.

From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026

The helicopter was transporting 25 intelligence experts and four special forces crew from RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland to Fort George near Inverness when it crashed in foggy weather.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

Without the foggy glass screening them, his eyes looked bright, washed clear by his tears.

From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat

For 21-year-old Marwa, the momentary burst of relief, of hopefulness, at having gotten out of Kabul in 2021 was morphing into something darker and foggier.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

"And then the rain picks up and it gets foggier, and you hear something nearby and you're like, 'Oh, okay.' Suddenly you realise you're really vulnerable. You're really exposed."

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

Alan Greenspan’s legacy is alive and well, JPMorgan’s line of succession becomes foggier, and SoftBank releases another wacky PowerPoint.

From Slate ● Jun. 27, 2026

It’s likely that her grief is making the future even foggier.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 25, 2026

Next morning dawned colder and foggier than ever, and even Wolf seemed dejected as he led them upstream.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

Nobody has a foggiest how to use it.

From Slate ● Aug. 15, 2026

The seven-week study window covered the time of year when Heber Valley is the foggiest.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 29, 2023

But the Outer Sunset, which stretches along the Pacific Ocean and is one of the city’s foggiest sections, feels far from the bustle of city life.

From New York Times ● Jun. 9, 2023

Shifting away from the foggiest areas could save a little time and reduce the risk of accidents.

From Scientific American ● May 1, 2023

‘I haven’t the foggiest idea,’ the pilot answered.

From "The BFG" by Roald Dahl

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