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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 Tanager-2 took off around 11:30 a.m. on a foggy day.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 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

In the fictional, foggy town of “Widow’s Bay”—trying to sell itself as the next Martha’s Vineyard—Matthew Rhys smoothly sails through drama, horror and comedy with impressive range.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

It was still early, and it was still foggy, and Roz was halfway through the village before anyone saw her.

From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown

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

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

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 25, 2026

“Archaeologists and physical anthropologists try hard to make their fields ‘real’ hard science, but the further back you go, the foggier the data gets,” said Peter Bullock, a retired chief archaeologist for the U.S.

From New York Times ● Jul. 1, 2023

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

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

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

From Science Daily ● Dec. 29, 2023

“I had only the foggiest notion of whether I was taking black and white, or color, or giving the right exposures.”

From New York Times ● May 6, 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 got the foggiest when I'll be able to go home. I'm keeping my fingers crossed... because it will make a big difference."

From BBC ● Feb. 15, 2023

“I haven’t the foggiest idea,” said Mr. Wonka.

From "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" by Roald Dahl

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