foxy

[fok-see]

adjective

foxier, foxiest 

1. foxlike; cunning or crafty; slyly clever.

   Synonyms: artful, sly, tricky, wily

2. yellowish or reddish brown, as of the color of the common red fox.

3. Slang.

   1. sexually appealing; attractive.

   2. stylish; modish.

      a foxy outfit.

   3. exciting and appealing, as a place, entertainment, or the like.

4. discolored or foxed.

   pages of a book that had become foxy.

5. (of a wine) having the pronounced flavor natural to native American grape varieties, as that of fox grapes or of Concord or Catawba grapes.

6. (especially of a painting) having excessively warm tones; containing too much red.

foxy

/ ˈfɒksɪ /

adjective

1. of or resembling a fox, esp in craftiness

2. smelling strongly like a fox

3. of a reddish-brown colour

4. (of paper, wood, etc) spotted, esp by mildew

5. (of wine) having the flavour of fox grapes

6. (of oats) having a musty smell as a result of getting wet, fermenting, and drying out

7. slang,  sexy; sexually attractive

Other Word Forms

• foxiness noun
• foxily adverb
• unfoxy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of foxy¹

1520–30; 1960–65 foxy for def. 3; fox + -y ¹

Example Sentences

Volunteers describe the trauma of seeing life recede from the animals’ foxy faces, and of being knee-deep in the carcasses of creatures they had worked for years to save.

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Savvier antagonists lodge parody of ruler suited up in a foxy tiara.

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For the foxes, language is a means of manipulating other animals, of imposing their foxy will on them.

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Then she was the shoulder-shaking discotheque queen, with her blond hair shaped into foxy flip wigs.

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There will be good cops, bad cops and one foxy sheriff’s deputy.

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Related Words

• attractive 
• beautiful 
• glamorous 
• gorgeous 
• sexy 

When To Use

What does foxy mean?

Foxy is most commonly used as a slang word for sexy or attractive, as in I want to look really foxy for my reunion. Because it can sound a bit silly or old-fashioned, it’s sometimes used in a way that’s intended to be somewhat ironic or humorous (though this is not always the case.)Foxy can also be used to describe someone or something as clever or crafty, as in He’s a foxy competitor—don’t underestimate him. However, the expression clever as a fox is more commonly used to mean the same thing.Much less commonly, foxy can describe something as being a reddish-brown color that resembles the fur of a red fox, as in I like that foxy orange one. Example: You look positively foxy—what’s the occasion?